Pokémon Reset Bloodlines: The Wild Boy from Sinnoh
by Viroro-kun
Summary: Spin-off of Pokemon Reset Bloodlines. A wild child and a girl running from her past pursue Kaisei, the child's father and the key to the mystery of the Sinnoh lakes. However, Team Galactic and the International Police are determined to find him first, and uncover the secrets of the mysterious fourth lake and its legendary. Based on the manga "Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure!".
1. Hareta and Mitsumi - Route 202

The sun was shining over Lake Verity, the crown jewel of West Sinnoh and one of its regional treasures. The people visiting the lake, however, didn't have tourism in mind.

Several men and women, all with bowl-cut green hair and wearing grey spandex uniforms, were setting up machinery and reading various scientific reports and readouts. Overseeing the grunts' work was a short, bespectacled man with lavender hair, adjusting his glasses as he read the data provided on his computer.

"Fascinating. This is one of the three lakes of Sinnoh, and as expected there are several legendary Pokémon energy readings. Looks like the myths were true after all." The man grinned, switching between several different readings and data while writing strings of codes on his laptop.

A grunt approached, giving a formal salute. "Are we going to catch Mesprit now, Charon sir? It's rumored to live here."

Charon sneered, passing a hand over his hair. He shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, that's the main branch's job. Even if it was actually here, it'd probably overwhelm us; same for Azelf and Uxie in Lake Valor and Acuity." He glared at the grunt. "We should easily obtain control of a much more important puzzle piece with our current data. Meanwhile, you grunts should ask less and act more. There are several Pokémon here in Route 202 we could make use of."

The grunt turned around. "All that's around here are Starly and Bidoof. Way too many Bidoof."

"Anything is useful." Charon frowned, his attention going back to the laptop. "As I said, ask less and act more. That's all you have to do."

"Yes sir." The grunt bowed, returning to work.

Charon followed him out of the corner of his eye, grinning as he saw the grunt and all the others work hard on gathering Pokémon. He had waited for a while to test out that theory his old colleague Ein was working on years before, and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

* * *

Route 202 was not exactly the most remarkable tract of land in Sinnoh: it was just a long path lined with trees, with greenery everywhere and lots of Pokémon running around, connecting Sandgem and Twinleaf. Not much different from any other route in the region.

Not like Mitsumi minded; she enjoyed the quiet atmosphere the road gave her, and it was reassuring to know that a bold Bidoof was the biggest danger she could meet.

She grabbed her Town Map from the bag, checking her position. Lake Verity was still a good thirty minutes away. She frowned, but strode onward. Professor Rowan was counting on her, after all.

He had been very gracious and helpful in accepting her as his assistant without asking many questions, and she had to repay that kindness. Plus, these errands were child's play compared to other tasks she had been ordered to do.

Mitsumi shook her head, focusing on the road: even if a Bidoof was the most fearsome creature of the route, it was better to not keep her guard too low.

She palmed a Poké Ball, throwing it. "Starly, tell me if there's anyone around us."

The brown flying-type materialized in mid-air, nodding and shooting upward. Mitsumi clenched her fingers around her briefcase's handle, shooting glances everywhere.

Everything was fine, too fine. Nothing was ever this fine. _Something_ had to be wrong.

She breathed slowly, deep in thought as she pressed onward. What she wasn't thinking about was where her feet were falling, and she suddenly tripped over an unusually large rock.

"Gah!" Mitsumi rolled several feet before a tree stopped her. She rose quickly, rubbing her aching back while glaring at the oversized hunk of stone.

"Stupid rock!" she yelled, kicking it.

Satisfied she had punished the offending stone, she quickly turned around and continued walking onward. A few steps later, the ground began shaking and stopped Mitsumi in her tracks.

Before her stood a large Onix that just emerged from the ground, and its central stone looked quite like the one she had just kicked.

"Crap." She bit her lip, frowning. She had no idea why an Onix was in Route 202, but there was no time to ask herself that.

She put a hand in her bag. "Infernape, use-"

Finding no Poké Ball, she paled; then, she recalled how she had left her team with the Professor. She cursed; did she really have to lower her guard on _that_ , of all things?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Onix tried to ram her with its head. She snapped back to attention and jumped to safety right on time. Starly noticed the commotion and perched on a nearby tree branch, awaiting instructions.

Mitsumi pointed ahead. "Starly, use Tackle!"

The bird quickly shot towards Onix, slamming into its stony body; the bird crashed to the ground for its troubles, but it quickly regained its feet, flying back to safety. Mitsumi scowled. She expected that result, but it was worth trying.

As the Onix aimed back at her, Mitsumi bared her teeth. She didn't have many options, but maybe-

"Hey, Onix, calm down!"

Hearing a new voice call out, Mitsumi and the Onix paused. They both turned around to see someone jump from a nearby tree and land right between the two. The newcomer was a very short boy wearing nothing but tattered shorts with spiky black hair, red eyes and a pair of Z-shaped birthmarks on his cheeks. He glanced at both, a wide smile on his face, before turning towards Onix.

"You don't need to start fighting with everyone! I'm sure she didn't mean to step on you!" The boy crossed his arms.

Onix scowled at the boy while he just kept beaming. Onix rolled his eyes and turned around, huffing and snaking away.

The boy kept watching, then shrugged at Mitsumi. "Don't mind him, he's a bit short-tempered. He will apologize later!"

"Uhm, if you say so." Mitsumi rubbed her neck, confused. "Was that your Pokémon?"

The boy kept smiling, hands behind his head. "Not really. He's my friend!"

"Friend?" Mitsumi frowned.

The boy nodded, and Mitsumi could see that they weren't alone in the Route: all around them were several Aipom, a couple of Starly, a Drifloon and even a Bidoof. Mitsumi flinched, only to see the Pokémon approaching and stopping close to them, with no ill intent.

The mysterious boy expanded his arms to the sides, smile widening. "We've lived together in different Routes before arriving here! They're my family!"

Mitsumi blinked, eyes back on the kid. His Pokémon were his _family_? That was new. She had heard of trainers so close to their Pokémon they regarded each other as family, but he seemed far too young to be a trainer to begin with, much less to have reached that bond. And how in hell was he able to travel around Sinnoh with little to no clothing?

She shook her head; she had no time for those headaches. Her life was complicated enough as it was.

The boy walked forward, raising a hand. "My name is Hareta! What's yours?"

Mitsumi hesitated for a second, then smiled. She kept forgetting that it was safe to give out her name.

"Mitsumi," she said.

Hareta raised both arms, never losing his sincere smile. "Nice to meet you, Mitsumi!"

She nodded, then quickly turned around and walked alongside Starly. "Thanks for the help, but I really have to go now."

"Where are you going?" Hareta ran in front of her and kept the pace while giving her a curious glance, especially at her briefcase.

She instinctively held it closer. "Lake Verity."

Hareta pondered the name, looking upwards. Then, he grinned. "Oh! It's that big lake near here, right? I know a shortcut!"

Mitsumi stopped, blinking at him. "Really?"

"Yes!" Hareta beamed, rushing to the side while gesturing at her. "Just follow me, I'll show you!"

Mitsumi observed Hareta and his 'family' take a side-path through the Route, following him with her eyes. Aside from being a weird kid, he didn't seem dangerous. She could definitely trust him, and if she could save a few minutes of walking with a detour, then so be it. Twinleaf's Nurse Joy could probably wait a bit for the delivery.

She followed behind Hareta, keeping a wary eye on the path around her.

* * *

The two strode onward for several minutes, Mitsumi never lowering her guard again and minding every step she took. She found that her vigilance was becoming increasingly difficult to mantain as Hareta ran at her side, looking at her while walking.

"Why are you going to Lake Verity, Mitsumi?" Hareta asked, head tilted.

Mitsumi sighed. There was probably no issue with telling him.

"Research." She adjusted her bag. "I work for Professor Rowan. We are studying the connection between the three biggest lakes of Sinnoh and the legendary Pokémon said to dwell there."

"Three?" Hareta crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. "Aren't they four?"

"Four?" Mitsumi blinked. Then, she shook her head. "No, there's only Lake Verity, Lake Valor and Lake Acuity. All the other lakes are mostly minor and have no big history connected to them."

Hareta remained silent, scratching his neck. "Dad told me they were four."

"Your dad?" Mitsumi blinked, looking at Hareta. "Like, a Pokémon dad?"

She turned around towards the wild Pokémon following them, trying to identify Hareta's 'father'. Hareta gave her a puzzled look, then laughed.

"Oh no, he's human!" He beamed, hands behind his neck as he stared skyward. "He's always travelling the world, so I haven't seen him in a while."

"And he left you alone, just like that?" Mitsumi tilted her head.

Hareta shook his head, extending his arms towards the Pokémon. "I'm not alone. All my friends are here!"

The Aipom, Drifloon and Bidoof nodded at once. Mitsumi just blinked some more.

Hareta approached her again with a quizzical look. "What about you? Where's your family?"

Mitsumi froze, quickly turning her eyes down. She clutched her bag again, gulping. Then, she looked back to Hareta, forcing a smile. "It's complicated."

Hareta blinked this time, then beamed as he understood. "Oh, I see! Your parents travel a lot too!"

Mitsumi let out a chuckle, avoiding eye contact.

"You can say that." She glanced sideways. "I'd like to find them, actually."

"Well, I hope you do!" Hareta told her with a smile. "I'm looking for my dad as well."

"Do you know where he's gone?" Mitsumi eyed him again, curious.

"Nope!" His smile didn't waver, and he raised a fist to the sky. "But I'll find him eventually! I just need to search!"

Mitsumi was at a loss of words once more. She just blinked, and then palmed her face. It was probably better to stay silent.

Suddenly, a rumbling noise was heard and Mitsumi raised her guard once more, fingering Starly's Poké Ball. She heard it again, and finally recognized the sound. It was just a stomach.

Mitsumi turned around, searching for the Pokémon to blame until then she locked on Hareta rubbing his belly, laughing. She raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, we didn't eat yet today!" Hareta rubbed his neck, smiling as usual. "Do you want to join us?"

Mitsumi took a deep breath, storing the Poké Ball away. Then, she shook her head. "Uhm, I'm not really hungry-"

Her own stomach's rumbling betrayed her. She gulped and looked to the side.

"Well, maybe something." She blushed.

"Alright!" Hareta turned around and rushed at a nearby tree. "Wait here, I'm gonna get some food!"

Without missing a beat, Hareta climbed the tree with expertise, smelling each berry before plucking them. All around him, the Aipom did the same thing. Mitsumi followed Hareta with her eyes, comparing him with the Aipom; she found no difference in behavior. He was almost like a Pokémon himself.

After several minutes of gathering Hareta and the Aipom jumped back down, carrying a large pile of berries with them. They placed them on the ground, and Hareta and the monkey Pokémon sat down near it.

Hareta gestured to Mitsumi as he and his Pokémon started eating. "Here, pick what you want."

"Thanks." Mitsumi sat as well, eyeing the pile.

Her berry knowledge wasn't the best, but she knew that they were for the most part edible to humans. After some pondering she grabbed a spiky, orange-brown berry, which she identified as a Petaya Berry. She started munching at it.

And then she stopped soon as she felt the taste, her face growing fifty shades of red as she barely managed not to throw up. She took several deep breaths and a sip of her water before starting to feel somewhat better.

"It tastes good, right?" Hareta smiled innocently, munching a Petaya Berry of his own.

Mitsumi blinked, then nodded and lied. "Y-yeah, it does."

"I'm glad! That's my favorite Berry!" Hareta's smile widened as he downed the rest of the Petaya.

Mitsumi went pale, turning back to the berry stash. There were _a lot_ of Petaya Berries. She gulped and sweated, giving a nervous laugh.

Thankfully for her, Hareta suddenly frowned and looked around, standing again.

"Hm, weird." He rubbed his neck, squinting his eyes.

Mitsumi tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"Onix should be here by now." Hareta crossed his arms. "Even when he gets grumpy he doesn't leave for too long."

Mitsumi searched the area as well, seeing no trace of Onix. And this was weird: Route 202 wasn't _that_ long to her knowledge, and Onix were certainly not good at hiding.

Then, a loud cry was heard. Mitsumi gripped Starly's Poké Ball, sharpening her gaze.

"What was that?" she asked, running several possible strategies through her mind.

Hareta's eyes idened as he jumped up quickly and ran away alongside the rest of his Pokémon. "It's Onix! He's back!"

Mitsumi flinched, lowering her Ball and followed behind. "Hey, wait!"

She ran after the Pokémon and Hareta for a while, the forest slowly giving way to a large meadow and shoreline. She stopped soon after, widening her eyes at the scene in front of her: Hareta and all his Pokémon family standing in front of Onix, who looked ready to strike.

"You're here!" Hareta walked on, giving Onix a stern look. "We were getting worried, you know! You should tell us when you don't return soon!"

Mitsumi narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the briefcase. There was something odd with the Onix, or rather his eyes: they were bloodshot and fierce, even more than when she angered it.

Hareta noticed it too, his expression turning into confusion as he blinked. "Onix?"

Onix didn't reply, instead rearing back his head, diving for Hareta.

Mitsumi paled. "Look out!"

Hareta's reflexes saved him as he rolled to the side, just as Onix cratered its attack into the ground. He stared at him wide-eyed.

"Onix! Why did you attack me?" Hareta asked, as the rest of the Pokémon took on defensive stances.

Onix didn't reply, instead going back on the offensive. In the next attack, Hareta and the Pokémon were blown away, but the colossal stone snake didn't slow its assault.

Mitsumi bit her lip, rummaging through her bag before remembering that Infernape's Poké Ball wasn't there. She only had Starly, and it had fared _marvelously_ against that Onix earlier.

"Damn." She eyed the battle, seeing Hareta and the rest of his 'family' constantly dodging Onix's rampage, never attacking and trying to talk him back to his senses. She clenched her fists, thinking of how useless she was- until she remembered she wasn't.

She glanced at the briefcase, remembering its contents: three starter Pokémon, a request from the Twinleaf Town Pokémon Center for a couple of trainers that met Rowan's standards but couldn't travel all the way to Sandgem. She didn't like the idea of betraying the Professor's trust, but she figured the kids could live with one fewer choice of starter.

Mitsumi opened the briefcase and looked at the starters, only to notice Onix ready to headbutt her; she yelled and ducked toward the ground, the shockwave of the impact enough to make her stumble and fall, sending the briefcase and Poké Balls skittering away from her grasp.

She paled and stood up again, finding Onix's shadow looming over her. She looked up, bloodshot and furious eyes meeting her own, and all her body tensed up.

Her hand reached for Starly's Poké Ball, but Onix had already darted forward. She would never make it in time, but she would still try.

Onix lurched forward. She was ready to toss the Ball, but something came up, blocking the path. Or rather, some _one_.

Mitsumi was speechless as Hareta stopped Onix from hitting her, holding him back with his bare hands and all his strength. He stared straight at Onix's eyes, baring his teeth.

"Onix it's me, Hareta! Don't you recognize me?" Hareta asked, worry seeping in his voice.

Onix roared in response, pushing ahead, but Hareta didn't yeld, even as he cried in pain.

"We need to leave, now!" Mitsumi cried as she rose to her feet again before turning the other way and running to safety.

"No!"

Mitsumi stopped, facing Hareta again, his body and muscles tense.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I can't go!" Hareta said, closing his eyes and pushing Onix's head further back. "Onix is a dear friend of mine! I need to help him!"

Hareta yelled at full strength, and Onix was tossed away. As Hareta breathed hard, Mitsumi could see the determination in his eyes as he prepared to fight again. She clenched her fists: she couldn't leave him, but he needed help.

She scanned the area, and beamed as she found the briefcase again, with its contents right next to it.

Mitsumi quickly pointed to the Poké Balls and cupped the other hand around her mouth. "Hareta, pick one of those! They'll help us out with Onix!"

Hareta turned in the direction of her gesturing and ran closer to the devices, tilting his head.

"What are those?" Hareta asked, scratching his neck and observing the spheres.

"They are Poké Balls! Just use one!"

Hareta looked at the spheres again, grabbing the central one. He shook it, squinting his eyes.

"How do you open this?" He placed it in his mouth, munching on it.

Mitsumi went pale. "Wait, it doesn't work that-"

Hareta's teeth sunk into the activation button, and the Poké Ball burst open in a flash of light.

" _Piplup!_ "

The Sinnoh Water-type started raised a flipper up with a huge smile. That smile quickly faded as he waved his flippers frantically as he tried to escape Hareta's mouth.

Mitsumi blinked, then slapped her forehead wordless. They were doomed.

Hareta finally spat Piplup on the ground, laughing nervously as the starter glared at him.

"Sorry about that, almost swallowed you there." Hareta rubbed his neck, before turning serious. "Can you help us calm Onix down?"

Piplup scowled and faced the other way, flippers folded.

Mitsumi's expression darkened. _Of course_ he had to pick the most stubborn and prideful of the bunch.

She quickly recollected herself, cupping both hands around her mouth. "Hareta, Water-type attacks are strong against Onix! Ask Piplup to use Bubblebeam!"

"Okay!" Hareta nodded as he pointed towards Onix. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam!"

Piplup didn't answer, facing the other way still.

Hareta blinked, kneeling at his height. "Huh, you don't want to fight?"

Piplup grumbled, glaring his way. Hareta remained still, then nodded and stood up once more.

"Alright then, I will! You just go to safety!" he said, charging straight at the Onix while Piplup sat and watched.

"You shouldn't let your Pokémon command you! It should be the other way around!" Mitsumi yelled, before tossing her Poké Ball. "Starly, keep Onix busy!"

The bird Pokémon appeared and quickly flew all around Onix, catching his attention: the Onix tried to headbutt it, only to find himself being pulled down. He let out a mighty roar and turned around to see Hareta blocking him.

He tried breaking free of the boy's hold, but the other Pokémon wanted none of it. All the Aipom jumped on his body and tried weighting it down, even the Bidoof tried to help. None of them could hold on as Onix thrashed around, not even Hareta.

Piplup shook his head as he observed. That whole display of effort felt utterly pathetic: what did they expect to accomplish? An Onix was too big and too strong to be defeated like that. He was definitely glad that the Onix didn't choose _him_ as his target.

Or at least, not yet.

And as a large shadow loomed over him, Piplup lost all his sass and bravado, paling and widening his eyes. He tried to rise and run away, but the headbutt was too fast.

Piplup felt a sharp pain as his body impacted on a rock, feeling all the air leave his lungs. He slid to the ground and breathed heavily, the Onix still aiming for him.

The Water-type closed his eyes. It was all over, or so he thought.

"Piplup!"

Someone tackled him away, just as the rock shattered from Onix's headbutt. They rolled over the grass before suddenly halting. Piplup opened his eyes in confusion, finding Hareta's smile to welcome him.

"You're not hurt, thankfully." Hareta set Piplup down before standing again. "Stay here, we'll finish this in no time!"

He rushed back into the action, tackling Onix with all his might, his Pokémon family helping out too.

Piplup's skepticism turned to wonder. They were clearly no match for Onix in strength and durability, and yet they didn't give in.

They were so stupid. So... _brave_.

Piplup stood again, narrowed eyes locked on the Onix.

He could make up a small detail ontop of the Onix's horn: a small circular device, beeping on and off. Nobody seemed to have noticed it yet.

The starter steeled himself, glare sharpening. He summoned all his strength, inhaling.

Then he exhaled, and a barrage of bubbles shot towards Onix's horn.

Onix yelled in pain as the device shattered, before suddenly going still and crashing on his side, defeated.

The offensive ceased immediately as the Pokémon family and Hareta rushed to Onix's head, fear and worry written on their faces.

"Onix! How are you?" Hareta grabbed his friend's head, shaking it lightly.

Onix slowly opened his eyes, focusing on Hareta before tilting his head. His eyes were clear again.

Hareta beamed, and the other Pokémon followed suit before smothering Onix in a group hug.

"You're back to normal!" Hareta said, tightening the hug. Onix didn't understand why he was so happy, but that didn't stop him from hugging everyone back with his rocky coils.

As Hareta and his family celebrated, Mitsumi smiled and recalled her Starly. Her expression turned serious as she looked down at the ground, grabbing a fragment of the destroyed device.

"So that's what happened." She frowned, analyzing it. "Someone put this device on Onix to make him go berserk."

Hareta turned to Mitsumi, eyeing the machine. "Who would do something so cruel?"

"I have a few ideas." Her eyes went to the broken yellow emblem resembling a G. "I doubt the culprits are still around."

Hareta said nothing as his eyes darted down, but he quickly recovered his smile as he patted Onix's head.

"What matters the most is that Onix is safe." He grinned, then raised his other arm and turned around. "Thanks a lot, Piplup! We would've never done it without you!"

Piplup pretended not to listen him, facing the other way. Hareta blinked, raising an eyebrow.

Mitsumi sighed, arms crossed. "Piplup is very proud of himself. He probably still hasn't forgiven you for earlier."

"Oh, I see." Hareta nodded, his grin splitting his face once more. "I will do my best to make up for it, in that case!"

Mitsumi smiled briefly before returning serious, eyes on the path behind them.

"Alright." She dusted herself off and began walking away. "Now, I think we should go back and-"

"Wait!"

Mitsumi turned around, blinking as she saw Hareta smelling the air like a Growlithe before pointing ahead.

"I remember this smell! We're almost at the lake!" He beamed once more.

Mitsumi gave him a puzzled look. "Really?"

"Yeah!" He nodded, before running the way he had indicated. "Follow me!"

Hareta and his Pokémon family ran ahead, leaving Mitsumi behind. She sighed before her eyes returned to the broken device, clenching her hands around it. They were here, and were still up to their old tricks.

She shook her head and stashed the item in her bag, following the boy. She had to be prepared for anything next time, but for now the Professor's task took priority.

* * *

"Here we are!" Hareta raised his arms as he took in a long breath, alongside all his Pokémon family.

Mitsumi stopped next to him, observing the large lake in front of her. Like Route 202 it didn't look particularly impressive, being just a big body of water with several trees all around it. And yet, the gentle breeze and the crystalline-looking water made the location seem quite pleasant; for a moment, it felt like all her worries and problems disappeared.

"So this is Lake Verity." She took a deep breath of her own before kneeling at the water's edge , seeing various Magikarp swimming freely.

"It's a very nice place." Hareta put his hands behind his neck, eyes to the sky. "My dad used to bring me here often."

"Do you miss him?"

"A bit." Hareta grinned. "But I know he's fine, nothing could slow him down for long!"

Mitsumi found herself smiling again. His optimism and liveliness was almost infectious, and she hadn't felt that relaxed since way before she even met Professor Rowan-

She widened her eyes, then quickly sat on the ground and rummaged through her backpack, earning a confused glance by Hareta.

"Right! I need to inform the Professor!" She quickly pulled out a computer and started a call, waiting for it to be accepted. "Professor Rowan, can you hear me?"

The stern frown of Rowan greeted her on the screen, dividing his attention between her and some papers.

"I hear you, Mitsumi. Did you arrive at Lake Verity?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes, I've had a couple of issues, but I reached the lake just now."

"What kind of issues?" Rowan turned his full attention to her screen.

Mitsumi rubbed her neck, forcing a grin. "Well, there was this raging Onix, and this kid called Hareta helped me-"

"Wait a second. Hareta?" Rowan inched closer to the screen, putting the documents away.

Mitsumi blinked. "Uhm, that's his name, yes."

The Professor was about to speak again when Hareta barged in, giving his brightest smile as he waved at Rowan.

"Hey, it's Gramps! Long time no see!" he said, almost plastering his face on the screen.

"It's really you, Hareta. I haven't heard from you and Kaisei in forever."

"Heheh, we've been busy!"

Mitsumi eyed Hareta and Rowan both, puzzled. "You know each other?"

"His father is an old friend of mine." Rowan folded his arms. "How did you meet, exactly?"

"Well, as I was saying..."

Mitsumi relayed everything that happened in Route 202, from the meeting with Hareta to the second clash with Onix. Rowan didn't say a word, just nodding along as she continued.

"And that's how things went." Mitsumi took a deep breath as she finished.

"Hmm, I see." Rowan turned to Hareta. "So, you had to use Piplup."

Mitsumi rubbed her arm, looking sideways. "Yeah, we had no choice. I apologize for using it."

"No harm done, I think the children in Twinleaf were asking for a Chimchar and a Turtwig anyway." Rowan fixated on the boy some more. "Hareta, you are fifteen now, correct?"

Hareta rubbed his chin, frowning in thought. "Hmmm, I think so, yeah."

Mitsumi blinked. He was fifteen? She would've pegged him as twelve, maybe eleven. How could he be older than she was?

"You can officially become a Pokémon Trainer then. Would you like that?"

Hareta smiled, throwing his arms up. "Sure! Sounds like fun!"

"In that case, you are officially eligible for a starter Pokémon." A hint of a smile flickered briefly across Rowan's face. "Albeit, that Piplup is not really a beginner-friendly one. Would you rather receive another one?"

Hareta instantly shook his head. "Nah, I want to keep Piplup!"

"Really? Wouldn't you like to raise a less annoying Pokémon?" Mitsumi tilted her head, observing Piplup scowling a few feet away.

Hareta laughed. "We'll become friends eventually."

Piplup gave him a puzzled glance, before turning the other way in embarrassment. Hareta instead approached him, attempting to hug him and receiving a Bubblebeam to the face for his troubles.

As Rowan turned his attention back to her, Mitsumi frowned. "Uhm, why are you being so nice with him? That's rather unlike you, Professor."

"I've known Hareta and Kaisei for a long time, and I trust Hareta to have the same potential as his father." The Professor's stern glare returned. "I have an important task to assign you now."

"What is it?" Mitsumi blinked.

"I'd like if you could accompany Hareta in his journey throughout Sinnoh while exploring the other two great lakes."

Mitsumi tilted her head, watching Hareta goofing off with the Pokémon. "Why?"

Rowan put his hands on his desk, interwining his fingers. "Kaisei is an unrivaled expert in legendary Pokémon. Meeting him could help our research immensely."

"What about our research data on the lakes?"

"For the moment, that can take a backseat. Of course, please gather all the data we need from Lake Verity while you are there."

"I understand." Mitsumi smiled and gave a nod. "I will do it."

Rowan nodded back. "Thank you. I will await for further updates."

The conversation ended, and Rowan's face left the screen. Mitsumi closed the PC and looked upwards, towards the sky. Things had sure taken a weird turn now.

"Looks like we'll travel together for a while," she said as she got closer to Hareta.

"Great!" Hareta pumped his fists. "I'm sure we'll all have fun!"

Mitsumi chuckled, before placing her arms akimbo and looking at the road ahead. "So, where do you plan to go next?"

"I have no idea!" Hareta beamed.

Mitsumi paled, eyes widened. "What?"

"I told you, I have no clue where my dad went." Hareta shrugged.

"You have _literally_ no clue?"

"None." Hareta shook his head.

Mitsumi raised a finger and attempted to voice her complaints. Failing that, she grabbed her forehead and sighed.

"Alright, let's stay calm." She grabbed a Town Map, going through its pages. "First we deliver the other two starters, then we should go to Jubilife City."

"Jubilife?" Hareta peeked at the map.

"It's a city close by, and the most populated of Sinnoh. It's the best place to ask for information."

Hareta observed Mitsumi, nodding. "Alright then! Let's go Jubilife!"

And once again, Hareta and his family rushed ahead without waiting for her, with Piplup reluctantly following. Mitsumi giggled to herself before following, feeling much lighter than she had been in a long time. The trip was looking to be fun, if nothing else.

* * *

As the duo and the wild Pokémon walked out of Verity Lakefront, nobody noticed a green-haired man following their departure. Master Charon had sent him back to recover some devices they had forgotten, but what he stumbled into now seemed far more important.

"Kaisei, huh." The grunt grinned. "I think the Admins will be very interested to learn of this..."

* * *

 **Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my newest Resetverse work. This one is a bit different than past ones in a few key ways, which I think was noticeable already by it not being labelled as a Gaiden or an Interlude. This is going to be a multi-chapter story, partially adapting the "Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure!" manga by Shigekatsu Ihara: this chapter in particular was heavily based on the first manga one, though I will make sure to diverge from the manga as much as possible even as I will keep some of its plot points. Be prepared for some twists even if you know the series, in any case: I plan to make this a fun read for everyone, both those who've read DPA and those who never even heard of it.**

 **In the manga, Mitsumi is implied to be an adult or at the very least in her late teens, while Hareta was implied to be in his early teens: in this story, instead, Hareta is fifteen and Mitsumi is somewhat younger, but look younger and older than their actual ages respectively (to the point Mitsumi has no issue passing off as a fifteen years old and having a trainer license). This is extremely important, and not something I changed randomly, just wanted to make it clear.**

 **I'm still tinkering with some details, but I have a clear enough idea for how I want the story to go. I will attempt to publish a chapter per month at the very least, if not more, and hopefully make it a nice story: while it will be set in the Resetverse and deal with some elements of it heavily, I will make sure the story can also stand on its own without requiring to read anything else.**

 **Many thanks to RandomificationChaotic and Wolflyn for the help betaing this chapter, it was very much appreciated.**

 **That said, thanks to everyone that will read!**


	2. Clashes and Meetings - Jubilife City

The trip to Jubilife turned out to be surprisingly uneventful: aside from the occasional odd look at the Pokémon parade following them due to Hareta's adamant refusal to place them inside Poké Balls, nothing exciting or unusual happened on the way to Sandgem and the subsequent routes. Well, aside from Hareta's recent complaints, at least.

"This is kinda uncomfortable." Hareta tugged at his new red scarf, breathing heavily as he kept scratching his black jacket and grey pants and adjusted his bonnet.

Mitsumi groaned and stared at him, trying not to think about how much that outfit made her wallet bleed.

"Wasn't it more uncomfortable to just run around in shorts?" She shook her head and took a deep breath. "It's better if you don't stand out, we don't want to turn our journey into the latest story on Sinnoh Now."

Hareta just blinked and tilted his head, before his attention turned to the greenery around them. "When will we reach Jubilife?"

"Not much longer." Mitsumi checked her Town Map, then pointed straight ahead. "It's the biggest city in Sinnoh, so someone is bound to know about your father."

"Cool!" Hareta beamed, arms raised. His family behind him yelled after him with just as much enthusiasm.

As a smile flickered over her face Mitsumi turned back to Jubilife, taking a deep breath. Without a Galactic Building the chances to run into members of Team Galactic in the city was pretty low, and even if there were some she could probably deal with them.

She instinctively hovered her hands above her Poké Balls, her whole team back in their rightful place. It was better to avoid any other Onix incidents in the near future.

She glanced over Hareta, trying her damnest to stay calm. He couldn't get him involved in her mess, no matter how strong he was. Team Galactic didn't need another target.

Mitsumi clenched her fists tight enough to make them shake. She wouldn't be scared of anything ever again.

Then Hareta jumped ahead of her, Mitsumi shrieking and falling on her rump as her heart thumped against her ribcage.

"Hey, I see it!" He pointed to the many buildings ahead. "That's Jubilife, right?"

A hand over her chest, Mitsumi took a deep breath and looked that way. "Uhm, yes it is, but-"

"Great!" Hareta beamed and turned to his family, raising a fist to the sky. "Let's go, everyone! We gotta find dad!"

Onix, the Aipom and the lone Bidoof nodded, and the boy and his Pokémon rushed towards the nearby city as one.

Mitsumi paled, then jumped back on her feet while she ran after them. "Hey! You can't run off without me!"

She actually managed to keep up the pace pretty well considering how fast Hareta and his family were, and almost caught up to them by the time they entered Jubilife.

And then she ran headfirst in a large crowd of people, while Hareta jumped and made its way through it far faster than her. She tried to follow him and shove people out of the way, but there were too many all around her. Before she realized it, Hareta and his family were completely out of her sight.

Mitsumi rubbed her forehead and sighed, then started shoving her way through the rest of the crowd as she looked for Hareta. With the giant Onix and the troop of Aipom at his side, she should've easily found him before he could become a target.

* * *

Big cities like Jubilife were always bound to catch even the most savvy traveller off guard by their size alone. And for a boy whom hadn't seen a city for months, the contrast with Sinnoh's other cities and their routes was even stronger.

So it was far from a surprise that Hareta was looking left and right with his mouth agape, the gang of Pokémon mirroring him. He had been to a few cities at times and knew that there was much less green and much more people around, but the sheer number of grey buildings and hordes of people going back and forth through their days still managed to feel very foreign. Even the smell was different from any other city he had been in, more pungent and unnatural with little in the ways of parks and trees. It was only cement, buildings, and taller buildings, each with something new and foreign to see.

The more things Hareta saw, the more the boy's smile got wider. He couldn't remember the last time he had so much to explore!

Quickly, he rushed towards a lamp post and climbed up to its peak, the Aipom troop following close by. Once he was on the vantage point he looked down, observing all the people and trying to glean their habits.

"So this is a city! It sure looks fun!" Hareta beamed, before noticing an open window and a woman cleaning it close to his position.

He inched closer, arm raised. "Hello! Have you seen my dad?"

The woman flinched, turning around with her heart racing; seeing a kid waving at her while hanging from a lamp post upside down made it worse, and _then_ she registered the question.

She shook her head, trembling. "Uhm, no-"

"Ah, okay! Thanks the same!" Hareta waved back, then leaped away. The woman kept staring after him, utterly confused.

* * *

It had been a few years since the last time Hareta had visited a city, and all the difference from the routes of Sinnoh couldn't help but make him more curious to learn about it.

Right then he was climbing over cement and glass, way colder and smoother than any tree. Thankfully, the glass was also more fragile than wood, which meant he could easily punch, kick and bite some nooks to climb further up. It was a shame it didn't taste nearly as good as wood.

Hareta could see people moving around both beneath him and inside each of the buildings in frantic patterns, all while they kept looking at their... phones and computers, he thought were the names?

Regardless, they all seemed absorbed enough in their tasks that Hareta punching his way in and waving in salute was enough to make them jump on their seats and yell at him. Hareta was a bit disappointed that no one was willing to give him informations about his father, but he understood they were working and let them be with another wave. And then the same pattern repeated as he climed further ahead, and Hareta wondered if city people were just rude in general.

At the same time, his family was keeping up the pace, with the Aipom troop thrusting themselves upward in a rhythmic fashion and Onix smashing his head into the buildings to propel himself upward with surprising agility. Without a word, the climb turned into a race towards the tallest building in Jubilife, with everyone jumping and climbing to the top at the best of their ability.

However, none of the Pokémon could compare to Hareta, as the man grabbed onto ledges and poles as if it was second nature for him to leap the other way, fearless even as the ground grew increasingly distant and enjoying the breeze washing over his body, the smells and air growing cleaner and more familiar the more he left the city under him. The boy couldn't help but smile throughout as he took in all the sights Jubilife had to offer, and before he realized it Hareta reached the top of the tallest skyscraper of Jubilife, from which all the city was visible and teeming with life all over. It was a different rhythm than the relaxed and vibrant life in Sinnoh's forest, but one that was just as interesting to follow.

Standing atop of Jubilife, with the people below now smaller than dots and his family at his side, Hareta took a deep breath. The air was much cleaner up there, almost as much as in Sinnoh's routes.

His eyes went to the sky, blue and almost cloudless, and his smile returned. He extended an arm towards the sun, closing it in as memories flooded back to him, of him and his family above Mt. Coronet, observing all of Sinnoh around them.

Of his father scruffing his hair and smiling at him, then going back to the forests and cities below.

" _You see this? It's all of our region, from Twinleaf Town to the Lily of the Valley Island. We have everything from ancient ruins to big modern cities, all in one nice package. Pretty cool, right?_ "

Hareta had smiled at that, trying to make up the shapes and sizes of everything as he imagined how each place was like. " _I want to see it all, dad!_ "

" _Oh, you will. You have the guts and willpower to go through all of Sinnoh and uncover all its mysteries, for sure._ " His father gave him a supportive pat. " _But when you start your journey, there are two things you'll always have to remember._ "

He had perked his head up, blinking. " _What, dad?_ "

" _Always keep your family close, and live a new adventure everyday._ " He chuckled, then watched over the setting sun. " _Life is no good if you don't have fun, and it's even worse if you've got no one to share that fun with. Be sure to always do what you want to do, alright?_ "

Hareta laughed in response, but not out of malice. In fact, he took his father's words to heart, and even now lived every single day looking for the next fun thing to do, never without his family at his side.

"I'm doing it, dad." Hareta beamed, then pumped his fists in determination. "And I will find you, too!"

All his family members behind him agreed, shouting alongside the boy. Hareta beamed back at them in response.

Then, noises from below caught his attention, and the kid peered down: several feet under him, various people were gathered around a small plaza, closing into a circle around two humans and two Pokémon: a Starly and a Luxio, staring down each other and trading blows at close and long range.

He blinked and jumped on a nearby lamppost, following each Gust and Thundershock thrown around. They were pretty basic moves, but each move segued into another, a dodge, and a repeat, with both Pokémon showing far more finesse and skill than any Pokémon he had ever seen before.

Hareta's curiosity peaked, and he dropped back on the ground while his family struggled to catch up. He reached for a nearby spectator, and poked his back.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Hareta asked, trying to stand on his toes to watch over the crowd.

The man turned around with a scowl a sneer. "A Pokémon battle, duh. What else could it be?"

As the spectator scoffed and turned back to the match, Hareta finally found a good position to continue watching on his own, with the Luxio managing to corner Starly and trap him between several Electric-type moves, with the Starly flying above it and replying in kind with Mirror Move.

Pokémon battles. He had heard them described by his father and gramps once in a while, and caught glimpses of some while travelling, but he had never manage to watch one at full attention. They were rather similar to battles in the wild, yet completely different: wild Pokémon would've just unloaded their strongest attacks to get the enemy defeated quickly, or in rare cases led their opponents into a trap, but these Pokémon were clearly following practiced patterns, and were both trying to break the opposing one. In the wild, the Luxio would've destroyed Starly in one hit; here, the Starly was quickly turning tables on its enemy.

The battle continued for a short while, each fighter making mundane moves look more impressive, until the Starly managed to break through the electric waves Luxio had set up, firing a Gust at point blank range.

The Luxio was blown back and hit a wall, cracking it as it fell unconscious. The Starly strut around victoriously even as he panted and wheezed heavily.

A reporter jumped in, clutching her microphone and grinning wide. "And with this, Luxio is knocked out! The winner is Park, once more!"

She pointed at Starly's trainer, a young man with black hair and glasses, whom raised his fist in victory as he recalled his Pokémon. All around him, the crowd erupted in claps and cheers while his opponent left in disappointment.

"You rule, Park!"

"Great showing!"

"And that, our dear viewers, was yet another close and exciting battle!" The reporter said again, as she walked closer to the winner and pointed her microphone at him. "Say, how does it feel to be the indisputed champion of Joy Plaza?"

Park smirked and shrugged. "It gets kinda boring, really. I wish there could be tougher challengers here, but that's not really something one can just ask for-"

"Hey! Let's have a battle!"

The reporter, Park and everyone else turned around bewildered, moreso when they saw Hareta jumping over each person in the crowd with all his family following behind, Onix included. He reached the opposite end of the makeshift arena and waved at Park with the biggest smile he could muster.

Park blinked, then smiled as well. "Well, looks like I was wrong."

"A new challenger approaches, ladies and gentlemen! And judging by how many Pokémon he has, this is gonna be a hectic fight!" The reporter said, joining on the grinning.

The champion of Joy Plaza crossed his arms, observing his new opponent. "The name's Park. What's yours?"

"Hareta!" The boy pumped his fists and beamed back. "Let's make this a good battle!"

"Sure, sure." Park eyed Hareta's Pokémon, frowning. "So, who are you gonna use? The Onix, or maybe one of the Aipom?"

"Nah, they are my family and are just here to watch me." He grabbed his lone Poké Ball, and readied his throw. "I'm gonna fight with my partner! Go, Piplup!"

Hareta aimed and tossed, but the Poké Ball didn't hit the grass. Instead, it overshot and homed right between Park's legs.

Park let out an inhuman scream, and many of the male members of the audience stared on in shock and shared pain.

The reporter winced as well. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt."

The Poké Ball burst open, and Piplup materialized with an arm raised in salute. And then, it desperately tried to break free of Park's legs, as the man tried to suppress other screams. Everyone else could only look on in utter confusion as the pathetic show went on. It took a few minutes before Piplup and Park finally managed to break free, both more flustered and red-cheeked than they had ever been.

Hareta rubbed his neck and smiled sheepishly as Piplup waddled towards his position. "Sorry about that."

"N-no worries." Park winced and gulped, then grabbed a Great Ball from his bag. "We will settle this in battle, anyway. Go, Gible!"

The ball was thrown perfectly, and a small landshark Pokémon appeared, staring down Hareta and Piplup. The boy had seen his share of Gible in his travels, and knew they were strong Dragon-types. But they were also Ground-types, and that gave them a good advantage to start with.

Hareta stroked his chin and thought, then looked back at Piplup with a grin. "Alright, we'll start! Bubblebeam!"

No Bubblebeam came. Instead, Piplup scowled at Hareta and turned the other way, stubby arms crossed.

Hareta tilted his head. "Huh? What's wrong?"

The puffed cheeks and blushing by Piplup were enough to answer that, as he absolutely refused to look at Park. At the same time, the champion of Joy Plaza and his Gible were sending Hareta quizzical looks.

"Your Pokémon has an attitude problem, huh." Park scratched his head. "How long have you been a trainer?"

Hareta raised an eyebrow, then looked at his fingers. "Uhm... a few hours, I think?"

Park paled and stared at Hareta, then at his horde of Pokémon, then at his Piplup. He almost did a double take before he glared at Hareta again.

"A few hours? Are you kidding me?"

Hareta smiled and shook his head. "Nope!"

Park didn't know what to say at that, while Hareta kept smiling like an idiot. His surprise quickly morphed into anger as his glare intensified.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Fuming, Park jabbed at Hareta and bared his teeth. "I have no time to waste on weaklings! Gible, Draco Meteor!"

Gible threw his head up and fired the meteor right away, flying skyward and shattering overhead in a colorful display of explosions and sounds.

Hareta widened his eyes, then beamed even more at the lightshow. "Woah, cool!"

Then he heard terrified high-pitched squeaks, and looked down to see Piplup stumbling around left and right as the shards, well, meteored his way. He jumped on his feet and stared on puzzled, while the rocky onslaught kept raining over Piplup, eliciting more than a few incoherent squeaks of pain.

Fortunately, the rain petered out just a few moments later, and Piplup raised his stubby arms in victory as he sighed in relief, still unharmed.

Park gave a cheeky grin, then snapped his fingers. "Great job! Fire another, Gible!"

The rain began anew, and one of the shards bonked Piplup right on his butt; the penguin let out a shrill cry as he waddled around and blubbered incoherently, stumbling just out of the path of the remaining shards.

As Piplup continued with his one-mon marathon and the draconic shower pressed on, Hareta squinted his eyes and thought, finding no solution; Piplup somehow kept waddling, flopping, ducking, and generally barely avoiding any incoming shards of doom better than any starter Pokémon would've normally done, but judging from his terrified shrieks and sluggish motions, his luck would probably not last much longer.

Park grumbled as the latest Draco Meteor proved ineffective. "Keep going, Gible! That stupid Pokémon can't dodge forever!"

And thus another Draco Meteor was fired, and the rain began anew to a soundtrack of desperate squeaks and chirps.

As his starter lucked his way out of being hit, Hareta analyzed the situation. To win, he and Piplup needed to somehow overcome the Draco Meteor, but with Piplup needing to dodge the shards continuously there wasn't much they could do. Then, he thought back to the Onix battle, and he beamed.

"Oh, right!" Hareta cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Piplup! Listen to me, I've got a plan!"

Piplup let out a flurry of squeaks at him, but quickly changed his tune as a shard almost bonked his head and he fell on his tummy. He turned back to his trainer in wait and fear at once.

Hareta nodded, and grinned at the incoming Draco Meteor. "Alright, use Bubblebeam on that, as strong as you can!"

Piplup flinched for all but a second before perking his head up and observing the incoming shards. The pieces of meteor where falling everywhere, and he couldn't hit them with one straight shot of Bubblebeam. Thus, he narrowed his eyes, aimed, and twirled on himself as he fired bubbles upward.

The crowd was dazzled as a spiral of bubbles flew overhead, impacting against all the shards and making them explode in a cloud of smoke that swiftly enveloped the whole battlefield.

Park blinked in confusion as he tried to see through the smoke, barely making out where his Gible was. "What the...?"

"Piplup is good at aiming, so I knew he could do it!" Hareta's smile widened as he punched ahead. "Now, go on, Piplup! Show us an awesome Peck!"

Park went back to the smoke, finally making up a shape rushing towards Gible, readying his beak. He tried to order another Draco Meteor, but Piplup proved faster.

And then he overshot and missed Gible completely, slamming Park right on the ground as he pecked him.

"Ow!" Park yelled, grabbing the Pokémon and glaring at him. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Did you hit him, Piplup? Good! Continue!" Hareta yelled from the other side of the smoke curtain.

Park paled as he observed the squeaking penguin in his hand and the newbie weirdo across the battlefield. He stood still with a gaping mouth before he bared his teeth and stared at the boy.

"Time out!" Park yelled, tossing Piplup back at Hareta.

Hareta flinched and caught his starter, then tilted his head at Park. The Champion of Joy Plaza continued to glare at him as he grabbed some money and tossed it to Hareta.

"Here, take this! You win! Buy yourself a sandwich or something!" Park yelled, earning confused looks from the crowd and even his own Pokémon.

Hareta grabbed the money and blinked at it, then stared back at his opponent. "I thought a battle continued until the opponent fainted."

"Well, I'm busy now. Go find someone else to beat up." Park recalled Gible and turned tail, grumbling and fuming. "See you."

And thus Park stormed off, grumbling to himself and shoving people out of the way.

No one knew what to say after that, and even the announcer needed a few seconds to register what happened. "Uhm... looks like the match ended with no winners."

Slow claps and confused looks towards Hareta ensued. The boy was too busy checking out the money Park gave him to notice it however, and left with a smile alongside his family and a rather sour Piplup, hoping to meet Park again to thank him for his kindness.

And in his happiness, he didn't notice a couple of people observing him and Piplup with more than a little interest.

* * *

"Well, that was fun!" Hareta said as he gave a bite to a sandwich he bought with the money Park handed him. All around him, his friends were all treating themselves to some fine dining as well. It wasn't every day that they got the chance to eat Pokémon food, after all. Hareta was still a bit sad that the vendor explicitly forbade him from eating it, but at least the sandwich was a good replacement.

He smiled happily as Onix and the Aipom troop stuffed their mouths full, alongside everyone else. However, he quickly glimpsed Piplup among his family all alone, pouting and still with his food untouched.

Hareta blinked, then sprung up and walked his way. "Hey, is everything alright? Are you tired for all the battles?"

Piplup scowled towards him and sneered away, nuissance seething through his features.

Hareta tilted his head, and then realized "Oh! Is it because you were stuck in that guy's crotch? Well, that was very embarassing. But it was also very fun, right?"

Going by Piplup's muderous expression, he didn't agree. Hareta laughed it off all the same, and offered a piece of Pokémon food to the starter.

"You should open yourself up to others. I think being shut off and superior will get you nowhere," he suggested.

Piplup grumbled and seemed uninterested as he snatched the food away and munched on it slowly, refusing to look into Hareta's eyes.

All the same, Hareta grinned. "Well, your choice. Don't worry though, you will always be my friend at least! Here, have this!"

Piplup just stared at Hareta holding the most cheerful expression on his face and a piece of Pokémon food. He snatched it out of his hand turned away all flustered, _tch_ ing loudly. Hareta chuckled as he munched over some of the remaining food.

Hareta continued to offer food or to play with the Water-type, no matter how increasingly annoyed he got and how much he tried to keep him at a distance. Hareta was not really respecting his wishes as he tried to befriend the Pokémon in every way he could think of.

Fortunately, help came to Piplup's side when two people approached Hareta and his group of Pokémon.

"Hey, you are the kid who won against the champion of Joy Plaza, aren't you?"

Hareta turned back and gulped down the large chunks of Pokémon food he was eating, looking over the newcomers: they were dressed in a weird grey suit, wore their hair in a bobcut, and looked exactly the same. The boy scratched his neck, then nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Hareta! Though Piplup did all the job here." Hareta beamed at his starter. He just munched his food away from him.

The newcomers grinned and nodded at each other, then looked over all his Pokémon. "How did you get more than six Pokémon with you here?"

"Oh, those are my friends. My team is only Piplup right now."

"I see." One of the men stroked his chin and observed Piplup from a distance before he went back to Hareta. "We are currently preparing a tournament of our own, and we'd really appreciate if you could join us."

Hareta appeared puzzled, tilting his head as he stared at both men. Then, he beamed and nodded. "Sure, I love challenges!"

"Very well." The men walked ahead, pulling Hareta behind them. The boy waved at his companions and they followed right after him, with Bidoof dragging Piplup behind him.

* * *

As she passed through the ways of Jubilife City in large strides, Mitsumi sighed. She had no idea how it was possible to lose a boy with a troop of Aipom and an Onix towering over everything in tow, but she somehow did. She really hoped Professor Rowan never discovered that.

However, Hareta was a very conspicous boy and she was a rather resourceful girl, so it didn't take long to find clues, be it property damage at his Pokémon family's passage or people shocked at a boy leaping around like an Ambipom, and follow a trail that ended with a rather depressed ex-champion of Joy Plaza pointing her to where Hareta had gone. From there, between quite a few smashed windows, Onix-shaped holes marking the sides of most of the city's tallest buildings and befuddled people unable to believe what happened she had no trouble piecing together the rest of her travelling companion's path.

She grumbled and took a deep breath. Despite being older than her, Hareta really acted like a little kid. The moment she found him, he would've really got an earful about not going away alone.

And then, she finally saw him: several steps from her, Hareta stood alongside all of his Pokémon chatting with others. She sighed in relief, until she noticed exactly _who_ he was talking to.

Spacesuit-like uniforms. Those stupid bowlcuts. It was _them_.

She froze and hid behind a corner, spying Hareta and the grunts. Why the heck was that kid talking with them? She was sure he couldn't know them. Were they trying to coerce him into doing something?

As she kept guessing what was going on, Hareta smiled and happily went with them. Mitsumi frowned and clenched her fists, readying her Infernape's Poké Ball. No matter what was happening, those guys could only be trouble.

And thus she ran after them, ready to fight.

* * *

As Hareta, Piplup and his family were led inside the 'Tournament Hall', they were all rather surprised at how decrepit and ruined the place was. Sure, Hareta was no expert of big cities, but from his earlier trip through Jubilife the kid had a hunch that this was far from normal, though he wasn't quite sure if it was the lack of lighting, seats, general uncleanliness, or the fact that no one bothered to trace anything designating the battlefield.

The boy stepped forward, cocking an eyebrow as he looked around. "This looks like a weird place for a tournament."

"Oh, it's just for thematic purposes. 'Decrepit and shallow building' is all in the rage in competitive environments." The man at his right chuckled, following after him.

Hareta squinted his eyes and sniffed the air. The air was stagnant and quite pungent, and he could smell more than a few things, most importantly several Pokémon species. Pachirisu, Bidoof, Staravia, and maybe even a few Kricketune.

As he finally looked at his right, Hareta widened his eyes: stashed at the very edge of the warehouse were several Pokémon, the ones he smelled alongside many others, all cowering in fear and silently watching at him. He could see more than a few bruises, and none of them seemed to have come from Pokémon attacks.

Hareta instantly clenched his fists and bared his teeth as he faced the men again. Most of his Pokémon did the same, while Piplup simply looked around.

"What's this place really for?" He glared through them, while both men remained calm.

One of them sighed and gave a shrug. "The trick didn't work, then. I hoped you would be dumb enough to fall for it."

"I smelled something was off with you from the beginning, but this..." He gave the cages another look, then glared back at the green-haired guys. "Who are you?"

"We're people interested in Pokémon with great potential, and your Piplup happens to have quite a lot of that." The spaceman grinned while eyeing Hareta's partner. "It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."

Piplup flinched and stepped back until he fell on his rear, shivering.

Before the men could approach him however, Hareta stepped up between them, arms outstretched and determined stare aimed at them. "You are never going to get Piplup! And you will free all these Pokémon, now!"

"Force us." The men laughed it off and crossed their arms.

Hareta frowned and pointed at them dramatically. "Piplup, let's go!"

Piplup didn't go. Instead, he remained supine and turned away.

Hareta quirked an eyebrow at him. "Piplup?"

The penguin didn't reply, and Hareta didn't know what to say. Even their opponents seemed briefly confused, before they grinned at once.

"It's not going to fight? Better for us, then!" One of them tossed a Poké Ball, and a Golbat appeared. "Mean Look!"

The bat flew upward and stared intently at Piplup, his eyes glowing blue; Piplup tried to move out of the way, only for his body to freeze in place. The Water-type attempted to break free, to no avail. Hareta stared blankly at the move, and then at the opposing Pokémon.

The spaceman snapped his fingers. "Perfect. Now, use Leech Life!"

Golbat circled around Piplup and then aimed down, fangs glistening. Piplup could only watch with eyes wide, before bracing himself for the hit.

And then Hareta jumped in the way and decked the Golbat, sending it to splatter on the wall. The Mean Look lost hold, and Piplup flopped on the ground. The penguin perked his head up immediately, and saw Hareta grinning and cracking his fists.

The boy took a battle stance, and behind him his family did the same. "If Piplup doesn't want to fight, that just means we'll have to do!"

The grunts ahead almost seemed worried, before laughing it off.

"Very well." The head grunt snapped his fingers again as he grinned. "Come out, guys."

From the shadows, several grunts all dressed and looking like the first two emerged and surrounded Hareta and his Pokémon, tossing several Poké Ball.

Many Pokémon of all shapes, sizes and evolutionary stages appeared, among them several Golbat, Stunky, and quite a few other Bug and Normal-types. Hareta could sense that while they probably weren't too powerful, but they were much more numerous and all hungering for battle.

The head grunt then raised his arm. "Defeat them, now!"

All the Pokémon of the other grunts leaped over to Hareta, and the boy simply grinned back at them.

And then, an all-out brawl erupted as the men's Pokémon converged towards Hareta and his family.

* * *

For Piplup, it was hard to following everything clearly. Soundwaves, poisonous sludges, tackles, beams of any color and size and spores and smells and everything in between was tossed from one end of the warehouse to the other, and the chaos didn't show any sign to let up soon.

The strange spacemen had numbers on their side and far more coordination to show off as they tried to isolate each Pokémon and Hareta from the others with pincer meaneuvers and attacks meant to hinder their movements, but Hareta and his family weren't going to give them an easy time: in spite of the odds, the wild Pokémon managed to match their opponents' strategy out of sheer ingenuity and determination, like how the Aipom troop formed a Pokémon ladder and swatted away the incoming Glameow and Dustox, or how Onix thrashed around to tank hits and dish out punishment even with how little room it had to move in the warehouse.

And while the Pokémon went for sweeping, coordinated attacks, Hareta zoomed all around by leaping like an Ambipom and punching every Pokémon and grunt away, with far more strength than the average human and leaving the spacemen just as confused as Piplup was. If he couldn't see the boy clearly, the Water-type would've surely thought he was a real Ambipom.

Even as their opponents accounted for their counterattacks by trying to overwhelm the Aipom and Onix, the rest of the wild Pokémon retaliated just as quickly. From his point of view, Piplup spotted Onix thumping on the ground and sending shockwaves all around, making several spacemen and their Pokémon lose their balance and allow the Aipom to swat them further against the walls as Bidoff bit at them; at the same time, Hareta was preventing the spacemen from giving any command by knocking them out, at one point even biting one of them in the butt. Even if he couldn't see everything, Piplup could judge by the screams that everyone else was also working hard, with the caged Pokémon observing the battle in a daze.

Victory seemed within Hareta's reach, and Piplup couldn't help but be impressed. Between the battle with Onix and the current one, there was just... _something_ about them. They were stupid, obnoxious and very irritating, and he still didn't like all the crap that kid had put him in, but maybe, just maybe, there was some good in there. Maybe he could've helped, too.

As he mused about that, Hareta leaped and high-fived one Aipom as they rushed away from a downed Glameow and back towards a Stunky.

"Keep going guys! We can do this!" Hareta yelled, with all of his Pokémon and the trapped ones joining him in cheer as they fought back even harder.

Half the spacemen paled and screamed in fear, while the other half only grew angrier and more focused.

"What the heck is this kid made of? No one can be this strong!"

"Don't get scared now! We're still more than him!"

And thus the counterstrike began, with even more Pokémon joining the fray on the spacemen's side, trying to overwhelm Hareta and his family and sending Piplup hiding behind an empty box. And yet, that didn't deter them: no matter how hard and dire the situation became, neither of them gave up the fight. They constantly came back from the brink and sent the grunts back in the corner. The opposing Pokémon continued to fall unconscious, and the numbers became progressively more even.

The starter had no words, but his stare slowly grew more focused as he followed after Hareta, as the boy jumped ontop of Onix's head.

"Use Headbutt!"

Onix rammed over the ground, and grunts and Pokémon flew away. Hareta leaped and kicked them back on the ground, managing to jump away and remain on the air until everyone crashed down. Piplup widened his eyes, stunned.

And then, through the flurry of attacks, he noticed the Sludge Bomb about to hit him.

Piplup shuddered and squinted his eyes, bracing himself for the hit. And then, someone leaped his way and grabbed him to safety.

As he fell back on the hard floor, Piplup opened his eyes again and found Hareta observing him in concern. The Pokémon blinked in confusion, while Hareta sighed in relief as he found no injuries.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to fight, I won't force you." Hareta patted his head with a big smile. "Just make sure you are safe, alright?"

Piplup just stared at Hareta, the stupid, brave, heroic wild child that just saved his life _again_ , with a gaping mouth and nothing to say. The boy just kept smiling at him in response.

And then, a piercing cry snapped them back to attention. Hareta and Piplup both turned around, and they flinched at once.

* * *

All of Hareta's family was frozen in place, just like Piplup used to be. Around them, several Golbat were keeping up Mean Look, and many of the Stunky prepared attacks in case the Pokémon broke free. They were all struggling to break free, but just like with Piplup it was for nothing. Hareta sweated cold as dread crawled under his skin.

"Looks like these Pokémon aren't that fearsome with nobody to coordinate them." The head grunt checked them out, focusing on Onix in particular. "I'm sure our boss will find this a good haul."

Hareta glared at him, fingers digging into his palms as he clenched his fists again. The head grunt chuckled at his helplessness, then strided towards him.

"Let's make a deal, shall we?" He folded his arms and eyed Hareta's starter. "You give us that Piplup, we give you back all those random Pokémon. A starter is much more valuable than all of them, and what use do you have for someone that doesn't even listen to you?"

Hareta fell silent and stared at the floor. At his side, Piplup shifted between him and his family, worry drawn on his face. The grunt waited and continued to grin in the meantime.

And then, Hareta looked back up and grinned. "Not a chance."

"What?" The grunt frowned and tilted his head. Even Piplup observed Hareta in confusion.

"My dad always said bad guys never keep their promises." The boy's grin widened as he thumped his chest. "And my family and Piplup are all important to me. I have no intention to leave any of them with you."

"You can't face all of us. We're too many." The grunt scoffed as his and his allies' Pokémon stepped up.

Hareta kept his smile up as he raised his fists. "Let's see about that."

His opponents didn't show any fear. If anything, they were holding themselves back from laughing at his expense as they readied their next attacks. And yet, Hareta didn't seem concerned about it.

And it was then, seeing his trainer about to face all those opponents, that Piplup made his decision.

He stepped up and jumped ahead of Hareta, trying to mirror the boy's pose.

Hareta turned to his Pokémon and gave him a confused look. "Piplup?"

Piplup replied with a cocky grin, and Hareta understood. The boy beamed again, before facing his opponents alongside the Water-type.

"Alright, let's do this!" He raised an open hand. "Bubblebeam all around!"

Piplup leaped and rotated on himself, firing several bubbles like a machine gun. The bubbles grew in number, blasting through each Pokémon and item scattered around the warehouse, more and more and more with no end in sight.

And then, there were so many bubbles that they quickly began to drown everyone's vision. The grunts and Pokémon panicked as Hareta and Piplup basically disappeared.

"I can't see anything!" One grunt yelled as he pushed the bubbles away.

"Tch, don't panic!" The head grunt gritted his teeth as he squinted his eyes through the bubbles. "Golbat, find that kid and use-"

Before he could finish, Hareta jumped out of the stream of bubbles and headbutted the Golbat back on the wall. He leaped and raised his arms, revealing Piplup as he kept up the stream of bubbles.

Hareta grinned as the grunts' Pokémon locked onto him, holding Piplup tight before tossing him towards Golbat. "Now! Rapid-fire Peck!"

Piplup meteored towards Golbat and readied his beak, then pecked at him furiously and without stop. The Golbat couldn't move or react as Piplup only grew faster and faster.

And then he let out a mighty last peck straight on Golbat's face, cracking the wall behind them. Golbat slid on the ground unconscious, and Piplup landed on the floor and puffed his chest while that Golbat's Mean Look faded away.

Onix broke out of Mean Look's hold and fell on the ground, and the shockwave knocked several grunts and Pokémon off their feet. He then headbutted the nearby Golbat and sent them sprawling on the ground, freeing the rest of the family. The grunts were frozen in fear as the giant rock snake faced them next and charged his next hit.

Hareta grinned as he kicked a Stunky away, giving Piplup a wave. "Yes! Great job!"

Piplup flaunted himself and looked at his flippers nonchalantly. In the meantime, the grunts started to understand just how outclassed they were now, as the Aipom troop and the Bidoof rejoined the fight.

"W-we should run!" one of them yelled. Most of the others found themselves in agreement as they all ran towards the warehouse's entrance.

An entrance that was quickly set ablaze, halting their great escape. The grunts panicked again, while Hareta and his Pokémon kept mowing down their Pokémon.

The arsonist quickly revealed herself as a young green-haired woman walked into view, an Infernape by her side. The already panicking grunts paled completely as they saw her.

"You aren't going anywhere." The girl's tone was firm and unflinching, and her stare cold as ice.

The head grunt stepped back, then scowled her way. "You...!"

"Mitsumi!" Hareta yelled, popping out of a bunch of Golbat and punching them away.

"I thought they instructed you Galactic grunts better these days." Mitsumi furrowed her brow as she studied her opponents. Then, she eyed her partner. "Infernape, Flare Blitz."

Her partner blurred into fire, disappearing and reappearing in a zig-zag of flames all around the warehouse. Blazing punches and kicks sent each Galactic Pokémon skyward, and they all fell down with pathetic whimpers without putting up any fight. As Infernape finally stopped, none of its opponents were left standing.

Hareta, Piplup and the family were all left speechless at that display of power. The grunts, instead, all turned to their head grunt.

The grunt gulped and checked their surroundings, finding Hareta and his bunch ready to strike on one side and Mitsumi frowning with her Infernape ready to hit. He scoffed and grabbed another Poké Ball.

"Well then." He tossed it quickly, and an Abra appeared between them. "Teleport us-"

A rock fell right on Abra's head, and the Psychic-type collapsed unconscious. The grunts all turned to Hareta's Onix, only to find him and everyone else as surprised as they were.

And then, a new voice was heard. "Sorry, but I can't allow you to leave just yet."

Everyone turned to the warehouse's entrance, where a man was making his way through the smoke of Infernape's flames. He was dressed in a grey mine-worker uniform with a red helmet, with cordovan hair and wearing a pair of glasses. At his side stood a Cranidos, and around him were several Golem and Onix, some of the latter even dwarfing Hareta's in size. A couple of Agent Jennies accompanied him, and the Galactic grunts started sweating cold.

As he observed the newcomer, Hareta scratched his head and quirked an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Mitsumi seemed similarly confused, until she observed him further. She widened her eyes and covered her mouth.

"Wait, you are Roark, the Gym Leader of Oreburgh City!" Mitsumi said. Hareta gave her a puzzled look before going back to the newcomer.

"In the flesh." Roark smiled and adjusted his glasses, then stared at the grunts. "Thanks for having made our work easier here. The police will take over now."

As he and the Jennies closed in on the grunts and proceeded to the arrest, Hareta and Piplup shared a high five and a grin. The boy would've done the same with Mitsumi, if he didn't found her staring on towards the grunts.

"Something wrong?" He tilted his head and poked at her shoulder.

Mitsumi snapped back to attention, and put on an uneasy smile. "It's nothing, don't worry."

Hareta wasn't entirely convinced, but left the topic die there as everyone left the warehouse at once.

* * *

As the Jennies departed with several of the grunts in tow and many recovered cages, Roark turned back to Hareta and Mitsumi.

"We were just about to prepare our infiltration when you entered the warehouse and dealt with them." Roark smiled. "It was unexpected, but I have to thank you. You gave us a huge help."

"You're welcome!" Hareta beamed, only to scowl as he eyed the police cars racing in the distance. "Who _were_ those people, anyway?"

"Their uniforms match the ones worn by Team Galactic." The man frowned while rubbing his chin. "Which is weird, given they are a clean energy company."

Mitsumi grabbed her bag, sighing. "Yeah, they are."

"This isn't an isolated case either, there's been many sightings of people wearing Galactic garb trying to steal Pokémon or force fights with trainers. I was looking into them and found that warehouse earlier." Roark folded his arms as he glanced at the remaining cages. "I already made arrangements so that each Pokémon was either released in the wild or returned to their proper trainers."

"I'm glad." Hareta's smile faltered and turned into a grimace as he eyed back the remaining Pokémon. "Those Pokémon were suffering too much."

Roark looked over the boy and his posture, and then he chuckled. "You know, you remind me of someone. An old colleague of my father."

"An old colleague?" Mitsumi quirked an eyebrow and inched closer. "Was his name Kaisei, by any chance?"

Roark nodded. "I think it was, yeah."

"You know my dad?" Hareta widened his eyes, then pumped his fists. "We're looking for him! Can you tell us what you know?"

"Sure, gladly." Roark took out a Pokégear and checked a few bits of information there, before he looked back to Hareta. "I need to attend some pressing matters in Oreburgh City first, however. Would it be a problem for us to go there?"

"Not at all!"

"I'm glad." Roark smiled again. "Come along, then."

The Gym Leader strided towards the route up ahead, with Hareta and Mitsumi quickly following after him. All along, the boy kept up the biggest grin he had worn that day as he waited impatiently to learn of his father's whereabouts.

* * *

The grunt had spent a lot of time relaying to his superior of what had happened. He felt bad for leaving his fellow grunts right when they needed him the most, but someone had to keep the Admins updated about their operations, and if anything _he_ escaped prison.

"And so I managed to escape, though that kid bit hard..." The grunt snereed as he scratched his swollen butt, before he looked back to the screen and his superior. "It seems our jaunt in Jubilife is done for, however."

On the other side of the conversation, Galactic Admin Charon listened carefully to his words. The grunt gulped and stood in fear, expecting the incoming backlash.

Instread, Charon sighed and rubbed his temple, then looked back at the grunt.

"I was afraid of that possibility, we were becoming too visible recently." He frowned and adjusted his glasses. "Still, this is quite troubling. First, that kid managed to break that Onix free of our device, then managed to hold his own against several of our grunts at once. Not to mention he's travelling with our ultimate fighting machine... We can't let them run around unchecked."

The grunt paled. "Are you suggesting to-"

"No no, I don't plan to kill him. That'd be an utter waste of interesting potential." Charon grinned. "For now, B-2, keep an eye on him. I have a feeling he will be extremely helpful in bringing our plans forward."

Hearing his codename, the grunt kneeled and nodded. "As you wish, sir Charon."

As the comunicator shut off, B-2 spied his new target leave the edge of Jubilife City, alongside one of the finest trainers who had ever been in Team Galactic and one of the eight most powerful Gym Leaders of the Sinnoh region.

He sighed and rubbed his butt again, then walked after them as he wondered where did he go wrong in his life, beyond joining a secret organization of course...

* * *

 **Happy last day of 2017, everyone!**

 **I know a lot of them were worried that this story was going to be left for dead, but as you can see, it's very much alive. A lot of things happened this year, among which one of the biggest issue has been that I was afraid to disappoint the readers with chapter 2. In fact, this chapter has been ready for a good two months, but I was constantly afraid that it wouldn't match expectations and constantly tried to improve on it while also working on other Resetverse stories in the meantime alongside my own, not published stuff, thanks also to the help of great people like Wolflyn, my Resetverse colleagues, and the Spacebattles user 'Oh I am slain!', all of which helped me in finding ways to improve on the current chapter. I do apologize for the time it took to bring this chapter to completation, and while I'd like to promise to do better next time, I don't want to lie to the readers. I will however promise that unless I die, this fic will be brought to completation, and if I _do_ die or disappear for more than one year, then I hereby allow my Reset colleagues to finish this for me. Hareta's story will reach an end one way or another, and I will make sure you will be satisfied with it.**

 **I plan to potentially write and release the next chapters in batches, so to ensure that while it might take a while several chapters in a row would be published, but it's just an idea for now. I will try to ensure you won't have to wait for almost a year before the next chapter, however. I will still be active around Reset for sure, so I hope to deliver many new good stories in 2018, including one I'm currently working on which is easily becoming one of my favorite Reset pieces yet, and hope it will deliver some good fun.**

 **Now, for this story, I still stuck somewhat close-ish to the first half of chapter 2 of DPA, but I tried to make sure to put my own original spin on it, aside from giving away more informations about Kaisei right from the get-go, alongside introducing a humorous cast member from the comic. Since fanfiction isn't a visual media and said character was quite 'cringy' in his style of comedy, I will probably have to be pragmatic on how to portray him, but I will make sure he will still be entertaining on its own right. Also, while the Pokémon family was left behind in the manga, I thought bringing them along for the ride would've been funnier, reflect Hareta's wild kid heritage better, and also fill in for some of Hareta's occasional Pokémon in his own canon. Next chapter I plan to go even further off the rails from the source material concerning Roark, and I hope to do good on that. Also, I will still try to keep Piplup's personality on display a bit more even now that he's more loyal to Hareta, compared to how it slowly disappeared in DPA.**

 **Now, for the replies to everyone's comments:**

 **Fox McCloude: I hope to not have made you wait too much to read DPA, heheh. That said, I do hope this continuation will match or even surpass the first chapter, and I have more surprises planned on the way, especially with elements set up in other one-shots.**

 **Crossoverpairinglover: I do hope it will be a good success. I will definitely try to make sure it updates faster, at the very least.**

 **Shadow Ninja Koopa: About the 'certain member', you will see and I hope to not disappoint. I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope this chapter will also be good.**

 **partner555: Thanks a lot, really, and thanks for your always useful spelling error checklist. Hopefully you won't get too much work this chapter.**

 **Guest (1): Uhm... I... guess they aren't that sensitive...?**

 **Guest (2): Hareta's Bloodline will be revealed in due time, but I think at this point it will already start to be very obvious. I admit the Bloodline was very difficult to figure out given I had two possible and equally good choices, but I hope to have chosen the better one overall. I will go more into detail about this once I reveal it properly, though.**

 **As for all the other Guests... as you can see, I updated, but I'd like to point out that constantly asking me to update won't make the chapter materialize out of thin air, since I've got a life, obligations and also other stories to read, alongside depression making it hard to continue at times. I will do my best to update fast, but just know it might take some time. Also, if any of you was the one that reviewed Koopa's Black Rose Tournament Interlude just to complain of my update schedule, I think you owe him a proper review, with all due respect.**

 **And thanks to BVr, Back Brigade and Only Lonely for their kind words.**

 **I hope to see you all soon again, and until then, I wish you a happy new year! May 2018 be a good year for all of you!**


	3. Battles and Bonds - Oreburgh City

Walking through Jubilife, he continued to find himself surrounded by people going on about their lives. Kids going to school or playing, teenagers kissing each other or wasting their time, old men and women feeding the Starly on a park bench and an obscene amount of salarymen coming and going out of the several office buildings surrounding them. The city was chaotic and bursting with life, the clear signs of a thriving place and one of the largest cities of the Sinnoh region.

But the blond-haired boy wasn't there for any of that. As he and Absol made their way through the sea of people, all they could qualify them as was useless information. They had a mission to fulfill, and they weren't going to lose sight of it. And so, they continued to scan every single person around them, his trusty partner always ready to sense any incoming danger.

Thankfully for them, Joy Plaza wasn't particularly vast, and in a short while they finally found their target, sitting on a bench and appearing dejected as he ate a sandwich, while at his side a Gible did the same. They were probably still reeling from a defeat, he guessed, or maybe it was just what happened a few hours before. Either way, he wasn't in his top mood, but that was hardly what interested him.

The boy adjusted his gloves and strode closer without much fanfare. There was no time to waste.

"Mr. Park, right? I've been looking for you," he said.

Park snapped his head up right away, gulping down the sandwich. He stared at the boy in confusion, narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?"

The boy simply grabbed his badge and showed it off. Trainer and Gible both froze in place.

"Agent Koya, International Police." He placed the badge aside, stepping closer alongside Absol. "I've got a few questions for you."

Park had blanched out, nervous, fidgeting and looking around. Koya simply remained in wait: was he going to escape? Did he have something to hide? There were many possibilities. He hovered a hand on one of his Poké Balls in case it was needed.

And then Park stared at his Gible, and threw his hands up at Koya. "L-look, I found this Gible abandoned as an Egg! If it had a previous owner, I didn't mean to steal him!"

At that, Koya quirked an eyebrow, shifting between trainer and Pokémon. Even the little Dragon-type seemed tense now, fidgeting and leaning closer on his trainer. The agent traded a quick glance with Absol at that, and then sighed. He faced Park again, clearing his throat.

"None of my questions concern you. I'm just looking for someone."

Park's worries seemed to melt away as he heard that, sighing in relief alongside his Gible. Koya didn't focus much on that, and instead produced a picture, an old archive photo of a youthful man and a wild-looking boy in the middle of nature, surrounded by many Pokémon.

Koya jabbed at the boy, eyes narrowed. "Have you seen this kid?"

Park grabbed the picture and gave it a good look. He groaned immediately.

"Oh, sure. He tossed a Ball at my nuts." He scratched his head, facing the city limits. "I think he helped with some operation by accident and is now going to Oreburgh? I'm not sure. Try to look there."

As Koya observed the path to Oreburgh himself, he ran the known information in his head. He did hear that the local Jenny was organizing an operation against a Pokémon smuggling ring surrounding Jubilife, with some assistance from Oreburgh City's Gym Leader Roark. He didn't expect that to end up relevant, but considering how Roark's father was a well-known acquaintance of his target, him and the boy being together would serve his investigation well.

He turned his attention back to Park as he pocketed the photo.

"Makes sense. Trainers usually don't stay still." He gave a polite bow to Park and a brief smile. "Thanks a lot for your help. And, don't worry."

"Uhm?" Park quirked an eyebrow.

Koya's smile widened ever-so-slightly, stepping closer to the Gible and giving it an affectionate pat to the head.

"Abandoned Eggs are considered res nullius as far as the law is concerned, they don't belong to anyone. And I can tell that Gible likes you, so you have nothing to worry about." He stared back at Park, his glare once again serious. "Keep good care of it, alright?"

Park appeared relieved at that, just as expected. He pumped his fists and nodded at Koya. "I will, thanks!"

Koya nodded and turned around, without any further gestures as Park and Gible went back to eating their sandwiches. He spared the duo only a second before he focused on the path ahead, Absol already striding at his side. He was glad that unlike certain people, Park seemed to genuinely care for his Pokémon, not like that stupid lab assistant he interviewed, or like-

The boy froze, trying to keep the memories from surfacing back. He shook his head, and he could feel Absol bearing his stare on him. Koya steadied himself and adjusted his shirt, taking a deep breath.

"It's nothing, don't worry." His gaze shifted back to the path. "We don't have time to lose now. Hareta Yamamoto is the best way to reach our goal."

Absol nodded, and agent and Pokémon continued through the road. They joined the International Police to do good and help others, and after insisting to be the only agents assigned to that case, neither Koya nor Absol had any intention to let their organization down.

They _would_ find Kaisei, and Newton Graceland with him. By any means necessary.

* * *

"Wow, this cave is awesome!"

As Hareta, Bidoof and Onix rushed to the side to pluck a Geodude from the ground and start chatting up with him, Mitsumi sighed and shook her head. Even after spending the best part of the last twenty minutes inside the cave known as 'Oreburgh Gate', the boy still managed to find something new to catch his interest and to rush towards. He bounded around like an Aipom with agility, grabbing Pokémon, picking up pretend fights, and then shaking hands as friends with every single denizen of the cave, all while Piplup tried to keep pace with his new trainer. All without a second of rest.

She was more glad than ever that the Jennies offered to accompany them up to the Oreburgh Gate's entrance, because at that rate, she would've spent more time making sure Hareta didn't get involved in weird adventures than they did looking for his father. At the very least, the cave's measly light and linear structure meant that they couldn't lose track of him as easily as in Jubilife.

As Mitsumi continued to give her traveling companion a look just in case, she heard the other human of their little entourage chuckle lightly, adjusting his glasses as he looked after Hareta and his Pokémon family, his Cranidos following after them.

"He's truly a bundle of energy, isn't he? Reminds me of my father," Roark said while Hareta fell smack dab in the middle of a colony of Zubat and Golbat.

Mitsumi continued to look as Hareta held a hand towards the leader Golbat, saying something about being friends. She could've sworn Hareta's eyes glowed for a second, and after that Golbat's smile widened, as if he had known Hareta for years, him and the rest of the colony welcoming him and the others as friends while Hareta talked of how they shouldn't disturb the local Geodude or something like that. She had no idea how he knew that, especially when he quickly jumped away to befriend some other cave dweller and waved the colony goodbye.

Mitsumi rubbed her green hair, sighing. "I've not known him for much, but at times I wish he had _less_ energy."

"There's nothing wrong with being so active, especially when you're so young." Roark continued to follow Hareta, just as he grabbed Piplup and lead him over Onix's head to look over the cave. "He's definitely his father's son."

At the mention of Hareta's father, Mitsumi tensed up. They had spent a good hour or so together, but she forgot to ask anything yet. She cursed mentally, and looked back to him with narrow eyes. "What do you know of Kaisei, exactly?"

Roark turned back to her, and shrugged in response.

"Admittedly not much, my father's the one that knows him directly and could likely give you more information, but he's currently out of Canalave to work with a friend on Iron Island. That said, there's also something I want to make sure of with Hareta, here."

Mitsumi knitted her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say I like to polish diamonds in the rough so they can shine brighter than ever."

Mitsumi's brow furrowed further. And at that, Roark laughed again, a hand raised. "Oh, you'll see what you mean. It's nothing worrysome."

"And when will we see this thing, exactly?" Mitsumi asked, eyes still narrowed on the Gym Leader.

"Hey, there's an exit there! Let's go!"

Mitsumi snapped back to attention, facing Hareta again as the boy pointed towards the light at the end of the current tunnel. Roark took his cue to lead the way, a bright smile on his face.

"Right now, it seems," was all the Gym Leader said, walking ahead of Hareta and gesturing for them to follow. Mitsumi let the argument rest, and she and the rest of their team continued to walk towards the path out of Oreburgh Gate.

It took less than a minute to traverse the rest of the tunnel and reach their destination, and as Hareta, Mitsumi and their Pokémon finally stepped in the light, Roark turned towards them and extended his arms to the side.

"Welcome to Oreburgh City, my friends!"

Coming from the mountainside, Mitsumi and Hareta could enjoy a bird's-eye view of the whole city: it was extremely advanced and modernized, and yet clearly a city stepped in working the rocks. They could see what appeared to be a large museum and laboratory in the distance, a large building that looked to have been carved from a giant boulder, a large red steel bridge leading to an alternate entrance to the city, and a very active mine leading underground, with several conveyor belts going in and out with all kinds of materials, and tower cranes moving them all over the place. It all gave the impression of a burstling, lively city with thriving workplaces, just accurate for one of the most important locales for Sinnoh's economy.

Hareta in particular was staring around wide-eyed from the head of his Onix, him and Piplup taking in everything the city had to offer them. "Wow! There are rocks everywhere!"

"This has been a famous mining town for quite a while, and even today we report new findings for minerals and fossils all over the place." Roark folded his arms, his smile growing even brighter as he stared at the mines in the distance. "As the leader of the mining operations and Gym Leader, I'm proud to call this city my home."

Hearing that, Hareta's attention shifted back to the bespectacled man. He hopped off Onix with Piplup in his arms, landing right next to Roark.

"Again that word. What's a Gym Leader?" the boy asked, head tilted towards the man.

"Oh, your father didn't tell you about them? We're the trainers you need to face to qualify for the Pokémon League. Strong trainers meant to test your skills, basically."

"A strong trainer?" Hareta's eyes lit up at that, and he quickly stared into Piplup's own. Trainer and Pokémon grinned at once.

Roark pushed his glasses up, his smile appearing more smug than before. "You're intrigued, right?"

"Of course! Let's battle!" Hareta said, him and Piplup pumping their fists and flippers at once.

Roark's lips curled up into a smirk. "Sure, why not."

Hareta and Piplup beamed together. Mitsumi, however, put her foot down and stared through Roark.

"Wait, what about your pressing matters? And Kaisei?" She asked, fist clenched around her bag.

"Oh, those two can wait." Roark stretched his fingers with a grin. "This won't take long at all."

As he and Cranidos looked back at the feisty and excited Hareta, Mitsumi froze in place, staring after the Gym Leader. He appeared relaxed, weak even, but the way he was approaching the coming battle exuded much more confidence than it seemed. Even for a Gym Leader, Roark was likely an opponent not to underestimate.

And yet Hareta didn't seem concerned at all. If anything, he only grinned harder and held a punch up in determination. "Alright then! Piplup, let's win this!"

Piplup puffed his chest and prepared himself, and with yet another chuckle Roark started to make way for a better place to fight. All the while, Mitsumi couldn't help but wonder what exactly did the Gym Leader want from Hareta now. They weren't trying to enter the League, so why was he so interested in him?

* * *

After a little while Roark led them to a plaza off the side, one that didn't appear to be too trafficked yet large enough to house all of Hareta's family on the sidelines. The boy wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings however, his eyes glued on the Gym Leader ahead of him.

There were many things that Hareta didn't know about the world: most of his life was spent traveling through nature, surrounded by Pokémon and sometimes his father. Even the few times he visited a city tended to be quick trips, few and far in between. As such, he had no idea what a 'Gym Leader' actually did, but if Roark was as strong as he sounded, then he wanted to face him.

He gave a glance to Piplup, and found his starter as fired up as he was, ready to test himself against a new challenge. The two flashed matching grins, their friendship feeling stronger than before.

"Is a one on one match good for you?" Roark asked, Cranidos already taking his place on the improvised, plain battlefield.

Hareta nodded. "Sure! Piplup is my only Pokémon, anyway."

"What about the rest?"

"That's just my family, they don't fight much."

"I see. Interesting." Roark adjusted his glasses, a smirk drawn over his face. "I look forward to see what you'll do."

"We're gonna win, that's what!" Hareta said, holding a fist up.

Mitsumi shook her head. "Don't underestimate him, Gym Leaders are tough."

"I'm not! I wanna fight him even more if he's strong!" Hareta grinned, his passion overflowing as he could barely stay still while Piplup hopped on the battlefield, puffed his chest and tried and failed to look bigger than Cranidos.

"That's good to hear." Roark folded his arms. "Why don't you make the first move, then?"

Hareta punched ahead in response. "Sure! Piplup, show off your amazing Peck!"

Piplup chirped an affirmative and rushed onward, beak shining. Cranidos took a stance, and Roark studied the field.

"Use Sandstorm."

Cranidos let out a roar, and the entire battlefield was covered by a veritable tornado of sand, obscuring him and everything else from sight.

Hareta put a hand above his eyes and tried to look through the sand with a big smile. "Wow! I can't see anything!"

"That's not something to be excited for!"

Hareta didn't mind Mitsumi's complaint and instead focused on Piplup, as the Pokémon tried to squint his eyes through the sand. "If we can't see anything, we'll just get rid of this! Piplup, Bubblebeam!"

Piplup puffed his chest and released the move, a stream of bubbles cutting through the storm where Cranidos was.

Hareta and Piplup winced as the bubbles hit the ground, Cranidos nowhere in sight. They tried to look around them, only for Piplup to let out a squeak as the sand whipped over him.

And Roark smirked. "Now, Assurance!"

Cranidos emerged from the thick sand veil, claw shining and swiping down at Piplup. The Water-type slammed on the ground, crying in pain and cracking the floor.

"Piplup!" Hareta yelled, while his partner rose back on his feet, taking deep breaths and with a huge bruise where Cranidos landed the hit.

"Assurance is a move that doubles in power if the target has received damage of any kind right before it." Roark adjusted his glasses as the sandstorm grew even stronger, with Cranidos hiding back in it. "Between that and Cranidos' unrivaled attack power, you can't afford any mistake."

Hareta remained thoughtful, folding his arms and observing the sand, his Pokémon and Roark wordlessly.

"So, we can't get hit." Hareta nodded to himself, and then pulled off a grin again. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam on yourself! Keep the sand away!"

Piplup chirped an affirmative, leaping upward and firing the bubbles skyward. The Water-type move showered him completely, the sand unable to touch him and clearing away ever-so-slightly.

"Smart, but not enough." Roark extended an arm ahead. "Swagger."

Cranidos reappeared again, gesturing at Piplup to bring it before he disappeared back behind the sand curtain. Piplup pouted and clenched his flippers, only for his footing to suddenly grow unsteady, leaving him wobbling in place.

Hareta paused, concern drawn on his face. "What? Piplup, what's wrong?"

Piplup didn't respond at that, still standing on shaky feet. Roark dusted off his work jacket as his eyes went back to Hareta.

"Swagger raises the opponent's attack power at the cost of confusing them."

Hareta continued to look over his Pokémon in concern, especially as the sandstorm grew even thicker, but he quickly recovered his smile as he pointed ahead. "Well then! If our attack is stronger, we'll make use of that! Piplup, blow him away with Peck!"

Piplup rushed ahead, beak shining and aiming ahead. And then he wobbled again, and the Water-type tripped and rolled over the ground, crying as the sand whipped over his body again.

Hareta widened his eyes. "No, Piplup!"

"Assurance!"

Cranidos emerged again, claw ready to strike once more.

"Bubblebeam!" Hareta tried to call. Piplup tried to charge, only to squint his eyes and grow dizzy again. The Assurance struck, and Piplup was tossed back on the ground, where the sand stream hurt him again. With another call of Assurance, Cranidos reappeared and hit Piplup again, tossing the Water-type right at Hareta's feet, trainer and Pokémon completely powerless as Roark continued to study his opponents.

"You can't continue to attack like that, not when your Pokémon is confused. And even if it doesn't hit itself, the Sandstorm will still guarantee that Assurance can hit at full power."

Hareta knew that Roark wasn't bragging; he was stating a fact. He and Piplup had a huge obstacle to overcome, and as the sandstorm brewed again and spotted Cranidos on the other side, he knew they had to overcome it somehow, and fast.

His eyes went back on Piplup, the prideful, somewhat bossy Piplup he'd just met not long ago. They still didn't know each other too well, but Hareta knew one thing: neither wanted to lose, and they both would've done everything to win.

And so, Hareta pumped his fists and observed his friend as he got back on his feet.

"Come on, Piplup! I know you can hear me!" Hareta punched ahead. "You can't remain confused! We need to show Roark what we're made of! You can do it!"

Piplup seemed to listen, but right then the sandstorm hit, and the Water-type winced in pain. Hareta's attention turned back to the battlefield, knowing what to expect.

"Once more, Assurance!" Roark ordered.

Cranidos left the sandy cloak once more, shining claw on the ready. Piplup continued to wobble. Hareta clenched his fists, and then aimed ahead.

"Bubblebeam!"

Piplup's eyes snapped wide open, and he ducked right under the hit. Cranidos froze in place, just enough for a storm of bubbles to strike and knock him back in a daze. Piplup stood proudly at that, the confusion gone out of sheer willpower.

"Yes! I knew it!" Hareta beamed, rising a fist skyward. Piplup simply held a battle stance, his injuries doing little to damper the confident grin he wore now, even moreso when the Sandstorm cleared completely, letting the two see Cranidos rising back up, hurt but not down.

Roark folded his arms at that. "Not bad at all."

"Alright Piplup! Let's get back at him now!" Hareta punched forward. "Ultra-strong Peck!"

Piplup let out a war cry as his beak shone brightly and he charged right at Cranidos. The Rock-type squinted his eyes, but Roark quickly issued another order.

"Sandstorm!"

Cranidos glowed, and the sand veil coated the battlefield and Roark's Pokémon once more. Hareta just grinned at it, an open palm to the sky. "Twirl around yourself and use Bubblebeam, Piplup!"

Piplup jumped without missing a bit, twirling like a penguin-sized tornado as a whirlpool of bubbles formed all around him. The sandstorm swiftly cleared, and Cranidos leapt away from Piplup at his side, his position now known. Hareta continued to grin, and even Roark gave a brief, slow clap at that.

"Not bad, you adapt fast." He smirked once more, trading a glance with his Rock-type. "Cranidos, Head Smash!"

Hareta and Piplup did likewise. "Go for the Peck, now!"

Cranidos and Piplup traded defiant glances, prepared themselves, and then charged at each other, Cranidos almost glowing monochrome and Piplup's beak shining brighter than ever. Forehead and beak met halfway and clashed, both Pokémon glaring at their opponent and pressing against each other, power exuding in droves from the clash of power.

Hareta, Roark and even Mitsumi continued to observe the stalemate, waiting as the ground surrounding the Pokémon cracked out of intensity, both Pokémon standing firm and powerful.

And then Piplup winced. Cranidos seized the chance and powered through, nailing Piplup in the stomach.

Piplup screamed in pain as he flew through the air, cratering on the ground and cracking it on impact. Hareta went pale, eyes on his friend as he writhed and whined weakly, barely trying to stand up before he fell again, defeated.

"Piplup!" Hareta yelled. He rushed at his side and grabbed him, holding the Water-type close. "Piplup, are you okay?"

Piplup opened his eyes slowly. The Pokémon weakly stretched a flipper to Hareta, disappointment on his face. Hareta just smiled at him and hugged him tighter.

The boy then heard some steps, and turned up to see Roark with an Oran Berry in his hand, Cranidos joining him at the side.

"Here, for his injuries," Roark said as he put it in Hareta's hand.

It took Hareta a little to realize what happened. He and Piplup were driven to win, they were doing their best, and they lost completely without much fanfare. His eyes fell back to the Oran Berry, thoughtful.

"Huh." He nodded at that, and then he rubbed his neck, giving the Gym Leader a sheepish smile. "Man, you were really strong."

"I do my best to improve myself every single day, as part of my duties." Roark adjusted his glasses, and then stared through the boy. "It looks like you aren't ready yet, however."

Mitsumi stepped in, an eyebrow quirked. "Ready for what?"

"To search for Kaisei." Roark kept his arms folded, eyes never leaving Hareta. "Even if you spent a lot of time travelling Sinnoh, you never fought many battles as a trainer, right?"

The boy shook his head. "Not really."

"It shows. You're strong, creative, and believe in your Pokémon, all admirable qualities." Roark gave an approving smile, one that was swiftly replaced by a serious frown. "But you're still inexperienced. For example, even boosted, Peck is not the best move to use against Cranidos, and you could've done better with Bubblebeam while keeping the distance. You're good enough to deal with small time criminals, sure, but what if during your travels you'll meet someone clever and ruthless enough to try everything to harm you?"

Hareta replied with a frown of his own, albeit one brightened up with one of his grins. "We'll grow stronger and defeat them, of course."

"A good answer, but you'll still need to be strong enough to fight back." Roark's stare grew even harsher. "And unless you're able to defeat me, I doubt you can continue your quest."

Hareta didn't know what to say. Inside, he wanted to tell Roark that of course he could, but then his eyes went back to the barely conscious Piplup in his hands, and whatever retort he wanted to say rang hollow.

Fortunately, Mitsumi held her bag and glared back at the Gym Leader. "You can't force us to stop, you know."

"I can't, but I can give you a fair warning." Roark sighed, concern drawn on his face as he went for Hareta and Piplup again. "I think he needs to improve, before he finds himself facing an opponent he's utterly unprepared for."

Silence fell between them all, with none of the humans nor Hareta's Pokémon family making any sound, all thinking of Roark's words. Then, the Gym Leader patted Hareta's shoulder with a smile.

"If you want a rematch, just come at the Gym and look for me. Take all the time you need to prepare, but know that I won't go easy on you."

Mitsumi tilted her head. "Wait a minute, what about the information on Kaisei?"

"There's no need to give it to you if you aren't strong enough to pursue him, don't you think?" Roark said with a shrug, then turned around and walked away, a hand raised in salute. "I'll wait for your rematch later. For now, I've got some minerals to inspect."

Mitsumi tried to object, but by the time she tried to speak, the Gym Leader and his Cranidos had already left her and Hareta alone with nary another word. She stood there, and then frowned almost comically. "That little...!"

She breathed in and out, her eyes going back to Hareta and the still injured Piplup. Now calmer, she stepped closer to her traveling companion.

"Do you want to go to the Pokémon Center?" Mitsumi asked.

Hareta remained thoughtful, eyes still on Piplup. He then nodded and rose back up, turning to Mitsumi. "Yeah."

"Let's go, then."

And thus, without a further word Hareta, Mitsumi and their Pokémon entourage moved towards the main street for the Pokémon Center. And throughout the trip, Hareta remained far quieter than he had ever been as he observed the injured Piplup.

* * *

After Piplup went through a quick check up and got his wounds patched by the local Nurse Joy, Hareta and his starter left without a word, his Pokémon family remaining outside the Pokémon Center all the while. Mitsumi was tempted to follow him, but before she could do that, she had a duty as an assistant to uphold, and thus went for the nearby videophones. Professor Rowan took up her call right away.

"Oh, Mitsumi, I didn't expect to hear back from you already. How are things going?"

"Well, there were some problems on the way, but we met Oreburgh's Gym Leader in Jubilife, and he claims to know something about Hareta's father." Mitsumi adjusted her bag, quickly frowning and rolling her eyes. "And then he suddenly went all grouchy cryptic mentor on us, defeated Hareta in a battle, and decided that he won't tell us anything until Hareta defeats him, for some reason."

Rowan placed a hand over his chin. "Hm, bizarre. I know Roark well enough, and he's never been the kind of guy to act that way."

"Well, that's still what he did, and now we're stuck." Mitsumi exhaled, trying to let her stress leave her body. Her gaze quickly turned to the door of the Pokémon Center. "I can't imagine how Hareta is feeling now."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." The Professor grabbed a book and started reading over it absentmindedly.

"A loss can make or break a person." Mitsumi clenched her fists, her gaze sharp and narrow on the older man. "I know it better than anyone."

Neither said anything more as they looked at each other across the screens, the unspoken history only they knew about clearly hovering over the entire conversation. And yet, Rowan still didn't change his demeanor, only allowing himself an extremely brief smile before he focused on his research papers once more, flipping pages with nonchalance.

"Seems like you don't know Hareta enough yet." He closed the book and took another one, giving Mitsumi another glance along the way. "I think traveling with him will do you good, actually."

"What do you mean with that?" Mitsumi asked, an eyebrow quirked.

"You'll understand in due time. I feel you can both learn from each other." Rowan closed his newest book after reading over one page, quickly putting the material aside over his desk. "Now, I'd love to talk more, but I have some interesting data to discuss with Sycamore. I hope you'll clear your hurdle soon."

"Wait, Professor-"

Rowan closed the call before Mitsumi could say anything else. The assistant grumbled to herself as she left the videophone, quickly striding to the center of the atrium. After the months she spent with the professor, she had learned to deal with the fact that he could be quite cryptic and work-minded when he wanted, with the only guarantee that he usually knew what he was doing. She really hoped it was the case for her and Hareta's enforced partnership.

She quickly shook her head and put these thoughts at bay, her attention going back to Hareta. She had a few ideas of what was likely going through the wild boy's head at that moment, and none seemed pleasant. She gripped at her bag, old memories trying to grasp at her mind as she tried to stay focused on the current matters.

Mitsumi quickly turned around and ran for her exit without a further word. Whatever he might've been thinking, finding Hareta took priority above anything else now.

* * *

Pacing through the rocky paths of Oreburgh City, Mitsumi sighed and kept going, her eyes scanning out the area around her in search of her traveling companion. Beyond the fact she never had any opportunity to visit the city before, it was still incredibly hard to get a read of where a curious and hyperactive Aipom-like boy would decide to prance next, even with his fixation with bringing an entire horde of Pokémon alongside him- something she should have a talk with him about eventually.

Normally, she would've tried to look for him eating some fruit while hanging upside down from a large tree, but none of the scattered greenery of the mining town really fit the bill, and no other Pokémon thing he could get to do now came to mind. Mitsumi grumbled to herself, her search for Hareta continuing until she found herself away from the center and almost at the outskirts of the town, the rocky surroundings making way for a very shallow forest with some Burmy, Budew and other Pokémon popping through the trees and bushes. Mitsumi would've turned back, if not for a faint voice in the distance.

"Piplup, go for Peck!"

The familiar call was enough for Mitsumi to perk her head up, finally spotting Hareta in the distance with Piplup at his side, surrounded by his several family members. She slowly stepped closer, just as Piplup rushed ahead with a shining beak to clash with a black and blue furred Pokémon that Mitsumi identified as a Shinx.

The Electric-type Pokémon ducked and jumped away from Piplup's beak thrusts, while Hareta's Water-type continued to keep the pressure up on the other Pokémon. As his starter continued to swing his beak like a master swordsman, Hareta stared at the battle in complete silence. Mitsumi frowned in worry, but her attention quickly went back to the two battling Pokémon as Piplup fell on the ground, with Shinx leaping away and then lunging over him, trapping the Water-type. The Shinx grinned, his body sparking with charge.

"Come on, Piplup! Use Bubblebeam!" Hareta sweeped his hand through the air.

Mitsumi perked an eyebrow up in interest, only for Piplup to blast the barrage of bubbles straight on Shinx's face, sending the Electric-type flying as his half-ready Spark attack coursed through his now wet fur. The wild Pokémon twitched in pain and meteored towards the ground, and Piplup leapt towards him, closing the distance until he was above Shinx.

Hareta then beamed, punching the sky. "Now, for your best Peck!"

Beak shining bright, Piplup slammed it right into Shinx, both Pokémon falling groundward together. Shinx impacted on the ground first, rolling over into a pained heap as Piplup disengaged him, arms on his hips as he puffed his chest with pride. The Shinx tried to stand up, staring at Piplup and Hareta, but he ultimately fell back down, unable to fight.

The battle done, Hareta beamed and came closer to Piplup, rubbing his first Pokémon's head happily. "Good job, Piplup! You were great!"

Piplup chirped happily in response, still showing himself off for his victory. Hareta indulged him for just a bit before his attention shifted back to Shinx, still staring at them in challenge even while panting heavily. The wild boy walked closer to him.

"You are strong, too! This battle was so much fun!" Hareta kneeled at Shinx's height, a cheerful smile on his face as he offered the Electric-type a hand. "Would you like to become friends?"

Much like in the Oreburgh Gate, Mitsumi saw Hareta's eyes shimmering briefly, Shinx's gaze still locked into his own. The small Pokémon narrowed his eyes, almost as if considering what to do next, but his frown quickly made way for a happy smile. The Electric-type placed a paw over the boy's hand and let out a happy cry.

Hareta beamed, and sealed the new friendship with a big hug. "Heheh, welcome to the family, Shinx!"

Piplup and the various members of Hareta's Pokémon family all joined in to make the new Pokémon feel at home, with the Shinx happily fitting in with no problem as Hareta brushed over his fur. As she observed her companion having so much fun, Mitsumi's worries all seemed to melt away, and she decided to stride forward to him with a smile. Shinx and Hareta both prickled their ears at once as she stepped closer, turning around to see her along with the others.

"Hey, Mitsumi! Did you finish your things?" Hareta waved his arm at her, still as cheerful as he was.

Mitsumi gave him a nod, arms folded as she observed the upset grass and dirt around them. "What are you doing here? Training?"

"Sorta." Hareta held the Shinx high as he looked at him, his smile only widening. "We were wondering what to do when this little guy came in to fight us. We're friends now."

"I saw." Mitsumi rubbed the head of Hareta's new Pokémon, but her attention quickly went to the trainer himself. "How did you get him to listen to you so readily?"

"Oh, I just used my Empathic Exchange."

Mitsumi knitted her brow. "Your what?"

"That's how Gramps calls it." Hareta set Shinx down, kneeling over both it and Piplup before giving both Pokémon a hug as he turned back to the girl. "I can pretty much make other people and Pokémon feel my emotions, that I want to be their friend, and let them know that. It doesn't work if the other person or Pokémon just doesn't want to be friends or something else is in the way, but it makes creating bonds easy. It works the other way around too, if they want."

As if to confirm things, Shinx started to playfully rush all around Hareta and Piplup, with the trainer quickly obliging in playing with his newest Pokémon. And all the while, Mitsumi thought about Hareta's explanation. She would've probably dismissed it as him being weird, if it wasn't for the fact that she knew exactly how many weird things went on in the world.

Was he a Bloodliner? He definitely fit the bill to be one, potentially one of those with two abilities. Maybe that was why Professor Rowan was so interested in him?

Mitsumi put the questions aside as quick as they came, instead focusing back on Hareta and on the reason she came to find him to begin with.

"Is everything alright? I didn't expect you to be so happy after that loss." Mitsumi scritinized Hareta thoroughly as she flitted her eyes, trying to find any clue of body language to reveal how he really felt.

Hareta just tilted his head and blinked. "Should I be?"

"Well, you lost, and-" Mitsumi bit her lip, trying not to project her own experiences on him. She shook her head and stared at the ground. "I don't know, it looked like you got sad."

The boy blinked a few more times, almost looking like he was processing Mitsumi's words, before his ever-present smile brightened up his face once more.

"Oh, I was just thinking!" He rubbed his neck, letting out a happy laugh. "Sure, defeat stings, but that just means me and Piplup have more work to do."

The boy crossed his arms at the waist, sharing a glance with all of his gathered Pokémon as his smile grew fonder, as if he was sharing into some memories only they knew about, before his attention went back to Mitsumi, all of Hareta's family coming closer to him.

"When I was little, all the other Pokémon around me were better. I was never the fastest, the strongest, or the best at jumping, or anything, really." Hareta hopped off right on Onix's head, standing ontop of it as he pumped his fists. "So I just tried harder and harder, until I became as good as them or better. It was hard, but if there's a limit ahead of me, then I want to smash past it and become better than I am!"

Piplup and Shinx both cried an affirmative in response, which was followed on by Hareta jumping off his Rock-type friend and right between his two Pokémon, tackling both into a tight hug and holding them close as he faced Mitsumi once more. "Me and Piplup can improve for sure, and with Shinx now we're going to be unstoppable! We just need to put effort in it!"

All of Hareta's Pokémon shouted in tandem with him, seemingly in agreement with his words and drive before they all tackled him into a collective hug, with Hareta happily returning the favor to each and every one of them. Mitsumi continued to stare back at him with nothing to say.

Even after spending time with him, she still had no idea how he could be so immature and idealistic. Did he really think that kind of mindset worked in the real world? Maybe growing up in the wild didn't do a number on just his social skills...

But even as she thought that, she couldn't deny to be glad to see him still being his cheerful self in spite of the loss. That was the only thing that actually mattered right then and there. And so, Mitsumi sighed and walked closer, a smile on her face.

"It's nice to see you so motivated." Her attention shifted back to Piplup and Shinx, scrutinizing both Pokémon. "Do you have any strategy in mind to defeat Roark yet?"

Hareta placed his hands behind his neck, grin widening. "Oh, we'll think of something when we get there!"

Mitsumi fell silent once again, frowning for all of a second. Then, she shook her head. "Sorry, but that's just a recipe for disaster. You can't just barge in without a plan."

"Really? It worked so far."

"Well, this time your opponent has a brain, don't forget." Mitsumi sighed, only to quickly grin back at him while palming Infernape's Poké Ball, tossing it up and down. "But if you want, I think I can teach you a few tricks that could come in handy for the future."

Hareta's expression only grew brighter as he, Piplup and Shinx leaned forward with interest. "For real? Like what?"

"You'll see." Mitsumi gave a quick glance at the semi-ruined area surrounding them before she turned the other way. "Let's move to a more appropriate place first, alright?"

Hareta nodded along, and Mitsumi started leading the boy and the Pokémon back inside Oreburgh City's limits, heading back for the same plaza the boy had fought Roark in. The girl allowed herself a pleased grin as she started to think about what tips on Pokémon battling she could pass on to him. By the end of the day, Hareta would've definitely become a far better trainer.

* * *

Once Mitsumi and Hareta reached their new training ground, they both sent over their Pokémon to train together, with Hareta's family observing and cheering from the sidelines. The initial training plan was simple: a battle between Mitsumi's Infernape and Hareta's Pokémon, with his new Shinx taking the lead after some sprayed Potions. As such, the two trainers started battling post-haste, Hareta and his Pokémon brimming with energy as they started trading blows.

Shinx was fast and reliable, but unfortunately for him and his trainer, Mitsumi and Infernape had been tempered by far harsher opponents over the years. Not that the difficulty deterred Hareta in any way, of course.

"Alright Shinx, show off a great Spark!" Hareta yelled, punching onward with all his enthusiasm.

Shinx lunged for the Fire/Fighting-type, his whole body engulfed with electricity. Mitsumi just frowned. "Infernape, dodge."

Her partner Pokémon shoot for the side, letting Shinx hit the air. The Electric-type tried to turn around and spark his charge again, only for a Mach Punch to force him to duck and steer away. Infernape and Mitsumi stood on guard as Shinx caught his breath.

As their Pokémon circled around each other in wait, Mitsumi spied Hareta. He was just as excited as ever, perhaps even moreso as he flashed another grin.

"You're fast! Then, we'll just be faster!" Hareta thrusted his arm forward. "Shinx, use-"

"Don't let him!" Mitsumi snapped.

Infernape didn't even let Shinx charge himself up again before he grabbed and tossed him away powerfully, the Electric-type flying through the air and towards a nearby wall. Piplup tried to leap to the rescue, only for Shinx to slam right into him and sending both to meet the wall, cracking it on impact as they yelled in pain.

Hareta was quick to rush at his Pokémon's side, grabbing them both. "Shinx, Piplup, are you okay?"

A quick headshake later, both of Hareta's Pokémon nodded back to him, with Shinx in particular dropping down and preparing himself to fight. The boy beamed at it.

"Good!" He turned back to Infernape, pointing at him. "Your Infernape is really as strong as he looks! But we'll manage to defeat him!"

"Not if you keep fighting as you are." Mitsumi folded her arms, analyzing Hareta. "You're way too direct. You need to be able to circumvent your opponent as well, without blowing your whole hand right away."

Hareta nodded in return. "I'll keep it in mind! Come on, Shinx! Let's fight together!"

Shinx cried an affirmative, fur sparking with electricity as he smirked towards Infernape.

"That's the spirit!" Hareta stood back up, pumping both fists. "Do your best, Mitsumi! We're ready for anything!"

Mitsumi just stared at him and his two Pokémon without giving any order, with even Infernape relaxing his posture. She shook her head, her stare cold. "No, not like this. You are taking this too easy."

"Really?" Hareta tilted his head, blinking. "Aren't we supposed to have fun?"

"Not every battle is fun. Some you're gonna fight because you have to, and when those will happen, you can't afford to put your 'fun' first." Mitsumi clenched her fists, gaze still trained on her traveling companion. "You are clever and react fast, but you need to get serious before it's too late."

She traded a quick look with Infernape, the Fire/Fighting-type recovering his fighting stance. "So, drop all the joking attitude and focus on defeating us. Don't think of anything else but winning."

Her voice was stern and collected, just as it had to be. That was the only way Hareta would understand how to take battle seriously, after all. It worked for her.

But she didn't expect Hareta to keep looking at her in confusion, before he shared just as confused glances with Piplup and Shinx. He ultimately stepped forward, puzzled yet curious. "Is this really a good training method? We want to learn and battle with you and Infernape. I love to go all out, but this seems a bit weird."

Mitsumi rolled her eyes, wondering why she didn't expect that question earlier. She sharpened her glare. "I'm preparing you for the worst. Do you think every single opponent you'll meet wants to have a good time?"

"Yeah, but I want to enjoy battling with a friend." Hareta folded his arms, still looking as naive as ever. "If we start to always thinks of the bad things coming, we'd not enjoy the good ones, right?"

Hareta's question was simple, maybe even warranted, but it still caused Mitsumi to dig her nails into her palms. She shook her head, her stare growing even more hostile. "You can't always be this optimistic. I'm just preparing you before it's too late. Just listen to me!"

She stomped her foot down, almost baring her teeth and hoping that he would finally understand.

The boy seemed surprised at that reaction, his glance turning quizzical again. He walked closer, Piplup and Shinx by his side.

"Is something wrong? Did I make you angry?" he asked in genuine concern.

Mitsumi would've snapped another retort, but Hareta's question gave her pause. She quickly sighed and rubbed her temple, trying to calm down a bit. It only halfway worked.

"No, it's just..." She sighed again, trying to put all her thoughts in order. She turned away from him to do so, drifting into her own memories. "I'm worried for you. Roark was right, this world is dangerous and you can't just treat everything like some big happy adventure, without expecting anything bad to happen. You need to be ready, and not just for the rematch."

She almost felt bad saying all that, but he needed to be aware of it. They already had one close encounter with Team Galactic, and she knew exactly what to expect. They weren't opponents to take lightly.

Hareta seemed to consider her words, and Mitsumi almost believed he understood. At least, until he pulled off another of his unfuriatingly cheerful smiles.

"I understand. When that will happen I'll be ready, but I don't think that time is now," he said, still yearning for his stupid, happy challenge.

She exhaled, holding her temple again. "Why do you keep saying that?"

"It's our first battle, and our adventure is just starting." Hareta's smile only widened, eyes going skyward before falling back on her. "I know I won't always be the strongest and maybe things won't always go well, but at least for a bit, I'd like to make this a good time for both of us. You always seem so serious and worried, so I'd like to help you out."

On the moment, Mitsumi didn't know what to tell him. It was kind of him to worry for others, but that really wasn't the time or place to act like that.

"Damn it, why do you have to be like this?" She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Are you really stupid? This attitude and naivety will get you killed."

Hareta didn't even wait a second for yet another grin. "If that's stupidity, then I'm fine with being stupid!"

Mitsumi stared at him again, once more at a loss for words. For his part, Hareta came closer as he continued to radiate cheerfulness.

"I'm not the smartest person in the world, and I don't understand everything." He came close enough to put a hand on Mitsumi's shoulder. "But I think I understand my friends and family at least, and I'll always do what I think is best for them. And if I ever do something so stupid to deserve to be scolded, then I know I can count on you and the others to do that!"

He ended his little speech with a laugh, like it was the most natural thing to think and say. Mitsumi wanted to yell back at him how wrong he was, how that kind of mindset would've only brought him into danger, but any other retort died in her throat. He was just way too earnest to really tell him otherwise.

She took a deep breath, and pulled off a smile of her own. Maybe it was wrong, but just for once, maybe it would've been nice to be wrong together.

"You sure are stubborn." She chuckled, her stare turning challenging. "We'll do this your way, then. But if anything bad happens in the future, I warned you."

"Don't worry, I know I can count on you to help me if that ever happens!" Hareta and his Pokémon laughed along, as Shinx took to the battlefield again.

Mitsumi and Hareta continued to battle like that for a while, and even with all his efforts the boy didn't even come close to defeating Infernape. But he tried as hard as he could, with Shinx and Piplup both, while trying to come up with as many strategies and subterfuges as he could, learning as he fought. And in spite of how long they battled together, Hareta never gave up, enjoying the matches as if he was having the time of his life. And little by little, Mitsumi felt the same. A weird, almost foreign feeling, but one she was glad for.

The training went on until the sun was ready to set, after which Mitsumi and Hareta decided to head for the Pokémon Center to rest up. They had a quite long day ahead of them when they would wake up.

* * *

As the morning sun shone overhead, Mitsumi, Hareta and the rest of their entourage didn't waste any time in getting prepared to head out of the Center, both Piplup and Shinx pacing right next to the shorter trainer, their thirst for battle evident. They tried to head for the Oreburgh Gym, only to find it closed for the morning due to Roark's absence. That was no deterrent for Hareta, however, and so the little group headed immediately for the location of the Oreburgh Mines, the economical heart of the city.

Mitsumi continued to observe their surroundings with interests as the several buildings made way for large upset fields of rocks and minerals. Huge piles of material she couldn't identify were scattered all over, while a conveyor belt, electromagnetic tower cranes and more than a few metal boxes surrounded the area while providing quick trasportation of all the material in the appropriate parts of the mines. Several workers were coming to and fro, barely paying them any mind, giving the impression of a busy work day in a very productive workplace.

The twosome and their Pokémon made sure not to cause any problem for anyone, simply asking for directions on where to find Roark and then putting their distance from the work area as they headed for the mines proper. After a brief walk, they finally reached the entrance to the underground, where Roark was reportedly working. All the while, Hareta never lost his challenging grin.

"Alright, here we go! Are you ready?" The boy shifted to his two Pokémon. Shinx sparked his cheeks and nodded, while Piplup puffed his chest with nonchalance, a flipper raised.

"Great!" Hareta gave them a thumbs up. He then looked back to his entire family, all standing next to the entrance. "You just wait up here, okay? We'll be back victorious!"

All the family cried in agreement, the many Aipom waving at him ontop of Onix while the others did the same on the ground. Hareta replied in kind with an energetic wave, before he and Mitsumi finally stepped towards the depths. Several lamps lined up the path on the sides and ceiling, making the path easy to see even as they descended further down the earth.

"How are you feeling?" Mitsumi asked to Hareta, their steps echoing around them.

"Excited!" Hareta pumped his fists at once, his beaming and bright face sunnier than ever. "We need to show Roark that we're better than he thinks, after all."

Hareta's expression turned a bit less sunny at that, his passion still there but tempered just enough. Mitsumi really hoped that was a sign of him taking things more seriously and not just an impression.

Her attention was quick to move away from there, however, noticing all the miners picking on the walls and removing rocks at work on the nearby walls, until both trainers found a familiar red-helmeted and purple haired head polishing up what looked to be a fossil, giving them his back.

Hareta quickly rushed towards him. "Hey, Roark! We're here for our-"

"Shhh, not so loud!" Mitsumi grabbed him by the scarf, a finger over her mouth as she stared at him. Hareta gave her a sheepish grin, but thankfully the workers surrounding them seemed just mildly bothered as they looked back at them and then went back to their business, all while Roark finally turned.

"Oh, look who's here." The man pushed his helmet up, smiling and placing his fossil aside. "Though I didn't expect you to come back so quickly."

"I really wanted to battle with you again." Hareta rubbed his neck with a chuckle, walking closer to the Gym Leader alongside his Pokémon.

Roark studied him and his team, and Hareta's newest Shinx in particular, before giving a chuckle of his own. "You're certainly not lacking in enthusiasm."

The man quickly put that aside, however, as his gaze turned serious again. He stretched his arms to the side, and only then Mitsumi and Hareta were able to see the huge variety of fossils peeking through the rocks.

"Do you see all these? These are the remnants of many ancient, extinct Pokémon." He gave a look of his own at all of them, then pushed his glasses up by the bridge, observing Hareta. "They all fell because they weren't strong enough to survive, for one reason or another. Are you going to end up like them, or are you ready to face me once more?"

Hareta gave a cursory glance to all the fossils himself, but it didn't take long for him to turn back to Roark. "There's only one way to tell, right?"

"The right answer." Roark smiled once more, dusting off his grey work clothes and heading on the road to the entrance. "Let's go to a safer part of the mine."

Neither party had any objections, and Roark led them out of the mines through an alternate path to the surface. They continued to walk until they reached a seemingly unused area of the mine, the same one Mitsumi had spotted on arrival, with the crane, boxes and piles of some kind of material all scattered around, but with enough room to allow for a proper battle.

Mitsumi's attention, however, was completely on Roark, trying to get into the Gym Leader's head. He could've easily led them to the Gym and have the battle there, but for as much as he seemed to follow official protocol, he still decided to remain around the mines he worked in. Was he trying to make use of homefield advantage? Was this another sort of test for Hareta to pass?

Hareta didn't say anything, simply taking a garner of his surroundings as well, alongside his teammates, possibly studying it as well. It didn't take long before the group reached a clearing large enough for a battle to take place in, surrounded by the piles of waste on all sides. Roark strode away from Hareta for his position, while Mitsumi walked to the sidelines.

"Let's make this a two on two battle, alright?" Roark asked, palming one of his Poké Balls.

Hareta nodded. "Good for me."

"Very well." With a toss, Roark's Ball was on the air. "Geodude, it's time to fight!"

The device opened, and the Gym Leader's rock-shaped Pokémon materialized out of it, levitating above the ground and punching its knuckles together. Hareta seemed to consider the Pokémon for a brief while, then turned to his newest Pokémon.

"Let's go, Shinx, you're on!" His Electric-type leapt onward, taking a battle stance and staring right through Geodude.

Both the opposing Pokémon and the Gym Leader blinked at the choice. Roark frowned, scrutinizing Hareta's new friend. "Starting with an Electric-type? Don't you know that Geodude is also a Ground-type?"

"Type advantage is not a problem for us!" Hareta grinned giddily, almost sounding fearless. Mitsumi really hoped it would be a good thing.

For his part, Roark continued to observe the trainer and his choice. He seemed to understand something from it, as he returned Hareta's grin and stretched his fingers in preparation.

"Well, this is bound to be interesting." He sweeped his hand forward. "Geodude, let's start things properly. Magnitude!"

Geodude slammed both hands on the ground, and the whole battlefield shook around the fighters. Shinx tried his best to stay still as the shockwaves came, but everyone's attention soon went to the piles of waste surrounding them, all wobbling in unison and looming ever-so-precariously above them with each quake.

Mitsumi clenched her fists. Of course he was planning on that.

"Shinx, move to safety!" Hareta's order was quick, and Shinx rushed forward just as one of the piles was about to collapse, narrowly avoiding it. The small Pokémon kept running to and fro, avoiding the sea of waste now precipitating from all over.

And as he continued to dodge, Roark smiled. "Seismic Toss!"

Just as Shinx continued to bounce around the falling debris, Geodude flew right at him, the Rock/Ground-type grabbing him by his paws. The Electric-type thrashed around, but Geodude's grasp remained firm as he shoot skyward, ready to turn back.

"Shift into Rollout and aim for the ground!"

Geodude tightened his grip and sharply turned downward, rolling alongside the fall even before they landed.

"Shinx!" Hareta yelled, frowning. The little Electric-type kept resisting, but there was little he could do as Geodude continued to revolve in mid-air.

Roark's Pokémon cratered groundward, the battlefield cracking on impact. Without wasting a second, the Rock/Ground-type rolled onward, slamming right into the heaped piles of scattered waste as its speed increased, Shinx screaming as he was tossed along for the ride.

Geodude grew faster and faster as it circled around the battlefield, with Roark keeping a steady look over their movements. And then, he snapped his finger. "Now, go forward!"

His Pokémon was quick to make a sharp turn, now heading towards the largest pile still standing. Mitsumi gulped; he definitely planned to smash Shinx on it with all the accumulated kinetic energy.

Knowing that would be the end of it, she turned back towards Hareta. The boy, however, didn't seem too concerned: he was frowning still, sure, but she could see a hint of a smile on his face, as if he was waiting for something as Geodude and Shinx rolled along towards the pile.

And mere seconds from impact, Hareta punched ahead. "It's time, Shinx! Double Kick!"

Even between all the rolling and pain, Shinx managed to slam his forelimb right on Geodude's face. The Rock/Ground-type screamed, the impact sending Shinx in the air and Geodude right into the pile, embedding it on the waste.

The rock Pokémon tried to levitate out of it, only to find Shinx still lunging towards it, the second half of his attack ready to be unleashed. The Electric-type kicked Roark's Pokémon right on its jaw, only embedding it further inside the collected waste. Shinx allowed himself to grin.

Hareta beamed, both hands tossed up. "Great job! You're amazing!"

"Sandstorm!" Roark's order was sharp, his gaze focused.

Geodude frowned as well, the sandy winds immediately called to whip over the battlefield. The sand cloaked everything, including Geodude's own position, just like the one from Roark's Cranidos did.

Hareta jumped on his feet, while Mitsumi grumbled to herself. "Not again..."

"Magnitude!"

As the sandstorm prevented anyone from following the battle, the earth shook again, and the piles of waste drowned the battlefield like a tidal wave. Mitsumi squinted her eyes through the sand, barely making out Shinx as he fought against the quakes and the waste.

Hareta pumped his fist. "Spark!"

Shinx obeyed, lighting up his fur and sparking his electricity skyward. The sandstorm wasn't affected, but Shinx became ever so visible and the sand moved just enough to peek at the battlefield. Some of the remaining electricity flew for the crane above as Shinx continued to leap away from a wave of debris, with Hareta studying what he could see of the battlefield. Both he and Mitsumi noticed that Geodude had left the pile.

Roark was quick to intervene. "Rollout!"

As Shinx winced at the sand, Geodude came into view again, rolling along on track to collision. The sandstorm grew thicker, and their vision was obscured once more.

All the while, Hareta stepped forward. "Stay still!"

Even as the winds continued to hit him over, Shinx nodded and held his ground. Mitsumi tried to follow, but she couldn't hear anything but the faint sounds of Geodude whirling closer. It was then that she turned back to Hareta, only to find the boy with his eyes closed, as if he was trying to concentrate on the sound. The seconds passed slowly. The whirling grew nearer. Shinx still remained in place.

And then, Hareta snapped his eyes open and jabbed forward. "Bite, now!"

Shinx sprung forward and lunged towards Geodude fangs-first, raising the sand and clearing their view mere instants before the impact. Geodude narrowly turned away, too fast to stop as he hit over a metal box on the way, denting it powerfully. The rock Pokémon rolled the other way from there, uncurling and staring back at Shinx once again. For his part, Hareta's Pokémon wheezed and panted, the fatigue of the fight catching up to him as he stood on shaky paws.

He wouldn't be able to fight for much longer, and Hareta seemed aware of that, looking over the battlefield in thought. Piplup, in the meantime, just cheered his partner on.

"It's time to end this match." Roark frowned, pushing his palm forward. "Geodude, go for one last Rollout!"

Geodude obeyed, rolling out at full speed against Shinx, parting the whipping sand along the way as it only grew faster.

Hareta seemed to still think of what to do, until his face turned bright mere seconds later, his gaze aimed to the metal box Geodude hit before. "Shinx, climb over that!"

Shinx quickly rushed over to the side, running at full speed while Geodude pursued it even quicker, their distance closing further with each second. The Electric-type bounded over the box, landing ontop of it with a loud thud.

"It's not gonna help you." Roark's gaze turned stern. "Go up!"

Geodude whirred even more, shooting forward towards the box and speeding right along its surface, propelling itself skyward and above the box. Shinx went wide-eyed, frozen in place, just as Geodude unfurled and meteored down, slamming on Shinx and denting the box further. Shinx yelled in pain, the rock pressing his body on the cold metal.

Roark adjusted his glasses. "Now, finish with Seismic Toss!"

Geodude acted immediately, catching Shinx into a death grip. And that was when Hareta grinned. "It's time, Shinx! Use Spark!"

The Electric-type charged up immediately, sparking his electricity enough to cover the entire box with its charge. Geodude only appeared confused and mildly bothered as he remained unharmed.

"This is not going to stop Geodude, you know." Roark sighed, shaking his head.

Hareta's grin only grew wider. "I know. That's not what we're doing!"

Roark blinked, and so did Mitsumi. They both would've pressed Hareta if it wasn't for the clanking sounds of metal. Both the girl and the Gym Leader quickly turned towards the metal box, and could only stare as it started to fly in the air, right towards the crane's magnet. Geodude was slammed ontop of Shinx by gravity, unable to move away. All as the box drew closer to the crane.

And as the distance decreased, Roark grimaced. "Stop him, Geodude!"

Geodude tried to lift itself and punch at Shinx, only for the Electric-type to roll and leap out of the way. He stopped sparking, and the iron box fell away from the crane and back down the ground, Geodude still ontop as Shinx leapt over it.

Hareta became even more giddy as he punched the sky. "Now, Gravity-Powered Double Kick!"

Shinx thrust his forelimb upward, slamming down on Geodude and the box with all of his might. He kept his kick pressed down, continuing to press over his opponent as the metal box cratered down.

The iron slammed down and shattered on impact with a loud and booming crash, raising the last of the sand just as the Sandstorm ended.

Hareta, Mitsumi and Roark all stared in wait, wondering what the result would be. It took several seconds until the sand cleared up, revealing Shinx standing shakily over a downed and unconscious Geodude.

The Electric-type offered a prideful smirk, and then fell to the ground too tired to continue.

Roark could only stare speechless at the two downed Pokémon, but he quickly pulled off a smile and recalled his Geodude, a prideful look in his eyes. Hareta, for his part, rushed on the battlefield and grabbed Shinx with a smile.

"You were amazing. Thanks for the victory." He hugged his Pokémon happily, with Shinx weakly returning it with a lick.

Hareta enjoyed the display of affection before he finally put Shinx down, Piplup coming in to give his own congratulations. Mitsumi couldn't hide a smile of her own at that.

Roark looked back at them, and Hareta in particular. He smiled again. "I gotta say, that was pretty impressive. I didn't expect you to make use of the environment as well."

"I saw a couple of Magneton do something like that once and noticed the sparks going up earlier, so..." Hareta rubbed his neck, looking sheepish.

"You seem to have improved now."

Hareta turned back to him, still smiling but with far more confidence than before. "We're just doing our best."

"And so far, you've done well." Roark palmed his second Poké Ball, gripping at it. "But there's still another Pokémon you need to surpass. Cranidos, it's your turn."

He tossed the Poké Ball up, and soon Roark's Rock-type partner materialized next to him. Both Hareta and Piplup stared right at the newcomer, all while never losing their shared smile.

The boy turned back to his starter. "Alright, Piplup. Are you ready for round two?"

Piplup gave a sharp nod and took his place on the battlefield, staring down his previous foe. Hareta beamed yet again, turning back to Roark. "Perfect! Prepare yourself, because we're gonna win!"

Roark smiled back, folding his arms. "Your enthusiasm is infectious. Let's see if things will go differently this time."

Neither of the two trainers needed any further word, as Cranidos and Piplup continued to stand on guard and wait for the other's move.

It was Hareta that took the first one. "Let's stop them before they start! Piplup, Bubblebeam all around you!"

The Water-type jumped up, twirling around himself as he fired a barrage of bubbles like a spinning top all around himself. Mitsumi immediately guessed that it was a way to make the air damp enough to prevent further Sandstorms from clouding the battlefield. Even Roark appeared to make a note of that.

"Not bad at all. Cranidos, use Swagger-"

"Keep your eyes closed, Piplup!"

Piplup shut his eyes off again, twirling even faster as the bubbles continued to be spread all around the battlefield. Cranidos' attempt to get him confused went completely unheeded as he was forced to dodge the bubbles instead.

"Your attack won't have any effect this way!" Hareta grinned with confidence.

Roark pushed up his glasses with just as much confidence. "I know, I was counting on you to do that."

Hareta blinked a couple times, until Piplup's cry grabbed his and everyone else's attention. His eyes closed, Piplup had now started to spin erratically, shooting Bubblebeams everywhere at a haphazard pace, completely missing Cranidos or anything else.

"Piplup, no!" Hareta yelled, grimacing.

Piplup's Bubblebeams quickly petered out as he descended, twirling on himself and wobbling in place out of sheer confusion. He only snapped out of it after a few seconds, going wide-eyed as he saw Cranidos heading towards him.

"Head Smash!" Roark's partner Pokémon nailed Piplup in the chest, sending the Water-type flying over the battlefield.

Roark gave a quick glance over the battlefield, then pushed his glasses up. "Now, use Sandstorm again!"

The sandy winds returned, popping all the bubbles Piplup attempted to create. A lot of the damp sand fell down, whittling enough of the storm to leave the battle visible, but far from enough to stop being dangerous. Piplup could attest that, as he squeaked in pain as the sand whipped at his body.

Roark's follow-up was obvious. "Assurance!"

Cranidos bade his time as Piplup fell groundward, swiftly charging at him before he fell, slamming against Piplup. Hareta's Pokémon flew forward, right in the middle of one of the piles of waste, trapping him there. Piplup tried to wiggle his way out to no avail, all while the Sandstorm continued to hit.

Hareta frowned. "Piplup, use-"

"Assurance!"

Cranidos went on the offensive again, hitting back at Piplup before any retaliation. The Water-type attempted to hit back again and again, no matter how much the Sandstorm continued to hurt or how much the fossil Pokémon made it worse with his constant Assurance, but none of his attempts made any difference. There seemed to be nothing that worked.

All the while Hareta tugged at his scarf, staring intently at the proceedings. And then, as Piplup continued to take hits without pause, Mitsumi saw the spark of creativity litting into Hareta's eyes.

"Head Smash!" Roark ordered, his Cranidos readying the attack.

Hareta stepped his foot down, pointing forward. "Piplup, you know what to do! Just stand your guard!"

Piplup did that, almost shining with power as he grabbed Cranidos' head with his flippers, staring down at him. Unfortunately, the sandstorm continued to rage, and a whip of sand made Piplup wince and lose his hold on Cranidos.

"Assurance, once more!"

Piplup barely channeled a Pound to divert Cranidos' strike, panting heavily as he stood his ground and tried to stand, without any hint of going to the offensive. Roark frowned at that, and even Mitsumi had no idea what Hareta's plan was. At least, until Roark squinted his eyes and glanced at the sandy wind.

"I see. You're waiting out for Sandstorm to be over before your attack. Smart tactic, but it's not going to help you out." He pointed ahead, stern once again. "Cranidos, don't give Piplup a chance of resting. Use your strongest Head Smashes!"

Cranidos continued to hammer its head on Piplup's chest, with the Water-type slapping his flippers back on him in a futile attempt to keep him away. Cranidos only grew more powerful, more relentless, slamming and slamming and slamming, until he finally took charge and hit Piplup with all the power of his Head Smash.

Piplup flew over the battlefield, his cry piercing the air until he fell on a pile of heaped debris. Hareta's Pokémon grimaced, barely pulling himself up just as the Sandstorm started petering out, gritting his teeth.

Hareta, however, wasn't concerned. In fact, he was smiling. "Actually, we weren't trying to wait for the Sandstorm to be over."

Mitsumi blinked at that declaration, but it only took one glance to Piplup to understand what he meant from the powerful glow of stored energy that enveloped Piplup completely. Even Roark went wide-eyed at it.

"No way." He gritted his teeth, pointing ahead. "Cranidos, Head Smash! Knock him out before that Bide hits!"

Cranidos swiftly did so, rushing at Piplup and heabutting him, just as the light grew warmer. Piplup was unable to defend, and thus was buried deeper inside the pile, disappearing from view.

Roark sighed in relief, the danger now over as Cranidos took his distance again. He turned towards Hareta, probably ready to declare victory. His relief was gone as soon as he saw that Hareta was still smiling.

Even more so when the pile of debris started to quake, first slowly, then more powerfully with each passing second. Cranidos stepped back, staring at the upset pile of waste.

Hareta sealed it with a punch. "It's time! Piplup, go for it! Mega Volcanic Bide!"

The pile of debris erupted and exploded in a thousand little pieces as Piplup smashed through it, the stored power shining more than ever. The Water-type rocketed towards Cranidos, shooting right into him.

The Rock-type was too shocked to move, and so Piplup slammed against him. Both Pokémon cratered along the ground, upsetting the ground all around them.

And once they stopped moving, everyone could see Piplup standing, weakly but steadily, above the unconscious form of Roark's Cranidos.

For a little while, neither of the three humans said anything. At least until Hareta grinned victoriously.

"Yes! We did it!" Hareta screamed, jumping on his feet and punching the sky repeatedly. Roark just stared on, mouth agape as he glanced over his downed Cranidos.

"How...? Piplup took way more hits than he should have... huh?"

The Gym Leader's eyes went to Piplup, and more specifically to the very familiar Oran Berry he was munching over. As he laughed it out, Mitsumi assumed he caught the irony of where that berry came from.

"I thought you would've used it on the spot. I didn't expect you to save it." Roark placed his helmet straight, moving closer to the boy.

Hareta continued to grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot to do that, so we decided to keep it as our secret weapon."

"That was pretty sneaky. I pegged you as more of an offensive guy."

"Oh, I love to go all out with my Pokémon, but I tried to take a friend's suggestions to heart. It was fun to try and think of new ways to win!"

Hareta still held his smile plastered over his face, but hearing that managed to make Mitsumi smile alongside him. Even Roark seemed proud of that, even moreso when Piplup walked up to Cranidos and offered half of the Oran Berry to his fossil Pokémon. The Gym Leader walked closer to his challenger.

"You've done pretty well. Here, take this." Roark rummaged through his pocket, placing a brown, Poké Ball-like medal right into Hareta's hand. "For your efforts, you deserve this Coal Badge."

The boy blinked as he stared at the little piece of metal. Then, his eyes lit up with happiness, holding the badge high.

"Nice!" Hareta said, quickly plopping it into his mouth and munching on it. He grimaced. "Hmmm, it doesn't taste that good..."

Roark quirked an eyebrow at that. Mitsumi instead slapped a hand on her forehead, glaring at him. "That's not to eat! It's a symbol of your skill as a trainer!"

"Really?" The boy spat out the badge, wiping it off as he observed it again.

Roark nodded, ignoring Hareta's quirks. "Yeah. Gym Leaders like me give Badges to the trainers that defeat us. If you collect at least eight, you'd be able to take part in the Pokémon League Conference, the tournament most trainers aim to reach."

Hareta continued to listen, his attention going to both the badge and the Oreburgh Gym Leader. Mitsumi could see the passion litting up in his eyes, especially as the 'most trainers' was dropped. It was more than easy to understand what he was thinking.

"Wow, sounds cool!" He clenched his fist around the badge, holding the punch high as he turned back to his two Pokémon. "We'll definitely win every badge there is in Sinnoh! Right, guys?"

Shinx and Piplup raised a paw and a flipper, both grinning along with him in spite of the bruises and fatigue. That was when Mitsumi barged in, shaking her head.

"Hold up, we've still got your father to find before you can think of Leagues and anything else." She turned to Roark, her eyes squinting. "And speaking of, I think it's time to spill the beans."

"Right, I did hold back the information." The Gym Leader gave a sheepish smile, before he adjusted his glasses. "I don't really know too much, but my colleague Gardenia in Eterna City told me that a weird guy that resembles Kaisei visited the museum some time ago. Given he's an expert of Legendary Pokémon, that should be your best bet to find out more about him."

"Eterna City..." Mitsumi swallowed, but quickly brought her attention back on Roark. "Thanks, this is going to help us."

"You're welcome." The man looked over both Mitsumi and Hareta, his expression softer. "I wish you good luck on your journey, then, and to see you again in the future."

Hareta beamed back at him. "You bet! Thanks for the great battles!"

Challenger and Gym Leader shook hands firmly, and the man left for the mines once more. Hareta and Mitsumi took it as their cue to go back to the former's Pokémon family, leaving behind the makeshift battlefield as the boy held his two battling Pokémon close to him, happily stroking their fur as they celebrated their victory together.

Mitsumi continued to look after him, trying not to think of the implication of the next leg of their journey. Eterna City was pretty big and expansive, so maybe even with how conspicous they were, they wouldn't be able to get them. She knew that simply being in Sinnoh was already a huge risk to run into Team Galactic, but walking straight into trouble was not going to help in that regard. She really wanted to gloss it over as her worrying too much, but she knew more than anyone else how dangerous and savvy their enemies were. They really couldn't take things lightly.

She only managed to snap out of her worries when she noticed Hareta perking his head back at her, her eyes meeting his as they reached the entrance of the mine, mere steps away from leaving.

"So, our next destination is this Eterna City place, right?" The boy beamed at her. "Let's have fun along the way."

For some reason, those words pierced through her doubts, making her feel just a bit lighter and like her worries didn't matter.

Realizing that, Mitsumi smiled back at Hareta. "Of course."

Hareta laughed out with glee, setting down Piplup and Shinx as he proudly showed his Coal Badge to all his Pokémon family, never losing all the enthusiasm and liveliness that he always brought with him. Mitsumi laughed herself, feeling more at ease than she had been for longer than she remembered.

And so, together, the group took the next step towards their own adventure.

* * *

His work now complete, Roark took a long breath as the Oreburgh Gym's door closed behind him, Cranidos at his side. As much as he loved both of his jobs, that didn't mean they couldn't take their toll on him, and knowing that the day was still far from over didn't do much to lift his mood.

Exhaling and deciding to get things done with, the Gym Leader and his fossil Pokémon strode towards the Gym's videophones and punched up a known number. Not even a few seconds later, an older man with purple hair much like his own and an unshaved beard beamed at him from the other side of the screen.

"Hey, Roark! How is your work in Oreburgh going?" his father Byron asked, shovel across his shoulder as usual.

"It's alright, for the most part." Roark smiled back, pushing up his glasses. "Kaisei's kid managed to defeat me in the end. I'm not really into the harsh mentor act, but it worked."

"Sometimes you just need to be tough on things! That's just how the men of our family love to do things! You truly are my son now!" Byron yelled, pressing his mug on the screen as he stared back at Roark with pride.

Even after years of knowing the kind of person his father was, Roark still blinked in confusion at that. "Uhm, sure, dad..."

Fortunately for him, his father decided to recompose himself and get away from the screen, placing his shovel on the ground like a cane and edging just enough towards it, an intrigued smirk on his face. "If the boy is even half as talented as his old man, then he's gonna be alright."

"I hope so." Roark frowned, arms crossed. "I have a bad feeling here."

"Pokémon trainers are tough by nature, you know that."

"I'm not talking about Hareta, specifically." The Oreburgh Gym Leader tapped his chin in thought. "Those people wearing Team Galactic's uniforms have been popping around more and more recently, I've heard some rumors that another old Team resurfaced in Hoenn some time ago, and now an expert on Legendary Pokémon disappeared, without counting all the other weird incidents that have been happening since that freak tempest in Kanto and Shamouti. There are just too many things happening at once right now."

His attention went back to Byron, his gaze stern. "Dad, do you know anything about what Kaisei is up to?"

The Canalave Gym Leader continued to stare back at him, no words spoken. And then, he scoffed and slung his shovel back on his shoulder, his usual bravado back in place.

"You've nothing to worry about here. Things will be okay in the end," he said.

Roark groaned at that, but decided against pressing the matter further. "I hope you're right."

The young Gym Leader's attention turned back to his Cranidos, a hand over its reinforced skull as he continued to think of the recent events. Something wrong was afoot, he could feel it, and sooner than later they and the whole Sinnoh region would definitely be dragged into far bigger predicaments. He hoped to be wrong, but his gut told him otherwise.

It was time to prepare for the worst.

* * *

 **It took far longer than I hoped, but finally it's here: the third chapter of The Wild Boy from Sinnoh, at almost one year of distance from the second one. I apologize for the lengthy wait, but unfortunately I was busy with both other projects on my plate for Reset and other personal things, and only now managed to get back to it. That said, my workload is slowly growing thinner, and with that I should be able to juggle both this and Akala Island Adventures better among other things.**

 **That said, while this chapter does cover to some degree some elements of the second chapter of DPA, I tried to shake up things to a higher degree here by adding a few elements from chapter 3 and the battle with Gardenia from DPA, most importantly Hareta's capture of Shinx. Hopefully they managed to make for a good read, and that while I lifted some important battle beats of the rematch of Piplup and Cranidos from Hareta's canon match, I still managed to make it feel distinct enough. From next chapter things should diverge even further from the original rails while sticking to the characters' personalities and roles, so I hope to be detaching myself slowly while still remaining faithful where it counts.**

 **Koya is also a canon character from DPA, which I already introduced in the Resetverse inside the Looker Interlude, but in Hareta's canon only debuted during the second arc. I decided to introduce him earlier due to how I'm conflating both arcs in this story, alongside giving a preview of his nicer side earlier than canon did to not have him come across as too much of a two-dimensional jerk, while putting more focus on him being very much a professional. Regarding what happened to Newton Graceland, from Giratina and the Sky Warrior, you'll see in the future, but he does figure into this story to an important degree alongside his assistant (and movie villain) Zero. While Giratina was a fairly weak movie in my opinion, there are some interesting elements in it that I hope to employ well here.**

 **Regarding Hareta's surname, it's a Shout-Out to Daisuke Yamamoto, the civilian name of Kamen Rider Amazon, a well-known tokusatsu superhero that was also raised in the wild.**

 **As for the Empathic Exchange, while it wasn't quite supernatural in nature, it is based on how Rowan claimed in the manga that Hareta had an uncanny ability to understand and befriend Pokémon, which served as the basis for his upbringing among Pokémon.**

 **I thank partner555, Fox McCloude, Shadow Ninja Koopa, edinosaur25, AdvancedAlto, Cyberbeasttitan, and Emperor of Eisen for their reviews. Though, in response to the last one I listed, I'd like to clarify that Hareta has never actually explored a city until chapter 2: he's mostly visited them briefly and remained on the outskirts of it, and his human interactions have rarely involved more than his father Kaisei and Professor Rowan, and that's why his knowledge of human customs is as lacking as it seems. His reaction was more sheer curiosity and energy than him being childish for childishness' sake, pretty much.**

 **Now, though, I hope to have delivered a nice battle here, and to do good going forward on this story and others I'll work on. Thanks to everyone that will read, and see you next time!**


End file.
